PECO Sees Large Jump in Residential Gas Shoppers; Peoples Natural Gas Sees Decline

Fueled by the start of a Purchase of Receivables program, PECO saw the growth rate of residential migration to competitive gas supply nearly triple during the first quarter of the year.

The Pennsylvania Office of Consumer Advocate has posted residential natural gas migration data as of April 1, 2012, available here.

A comparison to January's stats as compiled by Matters can be found here.

From January 1, 2012 to April 1, 2012, PECO saw the number of residential customers on competitive supply increase by 11,500 accounts, nearly three times the gain of 4,100 residential shoppers from October 1, 2011 to January 1, 2012.

Growth in the number of residential customers on competitive supply was next highest at UGI Utilities - Gas Division, which saw residential customers on competitive supply increase by 4,500 accounts from January 1, 2012 to April 1, 2012. This is about half of the growth in residential shopping seen from October 1, 2011 to January 1, 2012. UGI Utilities - Gas Division also started a POR program in late 2011.

Peoples Natural Gas saw a large acceleration in the decline of the number of residential customers on competitive supply. From January 1, 2012 to April 1, 2012, the number of residential customers on competitive supply at Peoples declined by nearly 4,000, versus the decline of 600 from October 1, 2011 to January 1, 2012.

Columbia Gas saw the number of residential customers on competitive supply increase by 1,400 from January 1, 2012 to April 1, 2012; a comparison to the immediately prior quarter is not available.

April data from National Fuel Gas Distribution Corp. was not listed. The latest OCA chart lists National Fuel Gas Distribution Corp. residential shopping as 16,942 accounts as of December 2011, versus 16,120 accounts as of October 2011.