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Pennsylvania PUC: More Than Half Of Default Service Customers Say They Are "Happy" With Default Service

Pa. PUC Commissioner: We Need To Respect Customers' "Decision" To Remain On Default Service

December 8, 2016

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Copyright 2010-16 EnergyChoiceMatters.com
Reporting by Paul Ring • ring@energychoicematters.com

In celebrating the 20th anniversary of the introduction of electric choice in Pennsylvania, the Pennsylvania PUC yesterday shared some highlights of a recent survey conducted by the PUC concerning electric choice.

Notably, the survey found that, over half of the respondents who have not switched electric providers say this is due to them being happy with their current electric provider, with the 65-plus age group more likely to say that is a major factor, as compared to the 18 to 44 and 45 to 64 age groups.

The PUC noted that about one-third of residential customers currently take service from a competitive retail supplier

During an event marking the anniversary yesterday, Pennsylvania PUC Commissioner John Coleman, Jr. said, "The number of customers that are engaged in looking at shopping is greater than perhaps what we report. I think there's a whole other constituency of consumers that understand what's going on, and that testimony is in the number that, they know they can shop for power in Pennsylvania, and they know it's easy to be done, and they know the products and services that are being offered, but they have made a choice as well. And that choice is to stay with the default product. So I would offer that the numbers are much better than what we are proposing today, in a third of residential consumers are shopping and the need to do better, and I agree that we do."

"But I think there is a greater constituency of consumers that say we understand [how to shop], and until we see a product or service in that marketplace that we feel compelled to move off the safe harbor of a default product, we're going to remain there," Coleman said

"We need to respect that decision as a choice as well," Coleman said

Other key findings of the survey include:

• The largest motivating factor behind switching electric providers is to lower monthly electricity bills, with the 45 to 64 age group being more likely to say that reduced costs are primary factors, more so than the 18 to 44 and 65-plus age groups.

• Over three-quarters of consumers who have switched electric providers state that the process of switching was very/extremely easy.

Regarding PA Power Switch, the PUC survey found:

• Ninety percent somewhat/strongly agree that the website provides helpful information.

• Eighty-seven percent are very/extremely satisfied.

• Seventy percent say that the website is very/extremely easy to navigate

The PUC also announced upgrades to PAPowerSwitch to make the site fully responsive no matter what kind or size of device they use, with updated cleaner and easier navigation; a more attention-grabbing way for visitors to learn more about individual offers on the shopping pages; consolidated pages; and enhanced security. Over the last two years, nearly 1.9 million visitors have shopped for electric supply offers using PAPowerSwitch, the PUC said

The PUC also touted 14 consecutive months of "sustained growth" in electricity shopping. Based on the statistics as reported by the PUC on PA Power Switch, EnergyChoiceMatters understands that this consecutive growth metric is based on total shoppers across all customer classes. As previously reported, residential shopping has declined in certain recent months on a statewide basis.

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