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Aggregate Report Shows 40% Of Customers Remaining With Retail Supplier After End Of Standard Offer Program Paid 50-100% More Than Applicable Price To Compare
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40% of residential customers in the standard offer customer referral program (SOP) at Duquesne Light who remained with their assigned retail supplier after the conclusion of the SOP term paid an EGS rate 50-100% higher than the applicable price to compare (PTC), according to an updated report from Duquesne Light
All data in this story relates to the residential SOP unless otherwise noted.
Duquesne Light's latest report, which provides an aggregate view of the Standard Offer program since 2018, as opposed to isolated yearly results, largely shows the same price data as prior year reports.
Duquesne Light's latest report includes residential customers that began participating in the SOP during the period January 1, 2018, through July 1, 2024, and whose initial 12-month SOP period concluded on or before July 1, 2025. The analysis only includes SOP customers that completed the full 12-month SOP term
A prior-year report covered residential customers that began participating in the SOP during the period January 1, 2018, through July 27, 2023, and whose initial 12-month SOP period concluded on or before July 17, 2024
While Duquesne Light's report does not provide a break-out by individual year, a comparison to the prior-year report can be made to isolate changes (if any) related solely to the most recent year
In the latest report, Duquesne Light reported that, of those residential SOP customers who continued with their randomly assigned SOP supplier after the SOP pricing term ended, about 89% of such customers were, within the first month of non-SOP service, charged a price greater than Duquesne Light's applicable price to compare. This 89% rate is the same as in the prior year report
More specifically, over the entire period covered by the report, Duquesne Light reported that 40% (vs. 38% a year ago) of customers who remained with their initially assigned EGS paid, for the first month after SOP end, a supplier price that was 50-100% more than the utility's applicable PTC. Duquesne Light reported that 16% (vs. 18% a year ago) of such customers paid a supplier price that was over 100% more than the PTC. Generally, these percentages as well as other percentages in the report are approximately the same as last year's report, indicating no or de minimis change over the most recent 12 months for these categories
Per the report, 84% of former SOP customers who did not make an affirmative choice paid at least 10% over the applicable PTC in the first month of non-SOP service, which is the same percentage as last year.
For the period January 2018 through an SOP term end of July 1, 2025, Duquesne Light said that, in aggregate, former SOP customers who remained with their initially assigned EGS for four months paid $593,000 more than default service during this four-month period. As of the prior-year report, this higher cost versus default service had been $566,000. For the latest report, the $593,000 figure represents a 55% premium over the otherwise applicable aggregate default service cost (versus a 57% premium based on last year's report term)
Duquesne Light reported that, by the end of month four, 14% of customers remaining with their assigned retail supplier for the post-SOP term were being charged a rate less than or equal to the then-effective PTC. By comparison, only 11% paid a rate less than or equal to the then-effective PTC at the end of the first month.
Duquesne Light stated, "This suggests that some customers who were being charged rates higher than the PTC took affirmative action by switching suppliers, returning to default service, or renewing their SOP contracts."
Within one month of the expiration of the SOP price, approximately 20% of residential customers took affirmative action (returned to default service, switched to another EGS, etc). Within one month of the expiration of the SOP price, nearly 80% of customers remained with their SOP-assigned EGS and were enrolled into new non-SOP prices.
Duquesne Light reported that 61% of residential customers remained with their assigned supplier, on a non-SOP contract, after four months following the end of their SOP price
As previously reported, Duquesne Light's SOP program terminated on May 31, 2025, with previously enrolled customers allowed to continue their full SOP term
While Duquesne Light had offered a small commercial SOP, Duquesne Light said that only 11 small C&I customers enrolled in the SOP during the studied period, and thus a review was not performed for these customers
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December 31, 2025
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Copyright 2025 EnergyChoiceMatters.com
Reporting by Paul Ring • ring@energychoicematters.com
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