Five Pennsylvania Utilities See Decline in Residential Gas Shopping During September

Five Pennsylvania natural gas distribution companies saw a decline in the number of residential customers on competitive supply during September, while PECO continues to see consistent growth.

Link to PUC September migration report

Matters has also developed a comparison of the natural migration levels in September 2012 versus August 2012

Link to Matters comparison of migration data (using PUC data)

As listed on the PUC's September report, some 34,000 residential gas customers at PECO were taking competitive supply in September, which represents growth of nearly 1,800 migrated residential accounts versus August. This monthly growth during September is about even with the August growth.

Five distribution companies, however, saw a decline in residential shoppers in September versus the August totals. These utilities, and the loss of residential shoppers versus August, were:

Columbia Gas:         (499)
Equitable Gas:        (112)
Peoples Natural Gas:  (666)
UGI Central Penn Gas:   (3)
UGI Penn Natural Gas:  (16)

At UGI Utilities - Gas Division, the growth in the number of residential customers on competitive supply from August to September was 541 accounts, versus the growth of 978 accounts from July to August.

At National Fuel Gas Distribution, the growth in the number of residential customers on competitive supply from August to September was 52 accounts; a comparison to month-ago growth was not available.

As a percent of residential accounts, migration to competitive supply as of September is as follows, per the PUC chart:

Columbia Gas:                    27.8%
Equitable Gas:                    6.0%
National Fuel Gas Distribution:   9.3%
PECO:                             7.6%
Peoples Natural Gas:             26.0%
Peoples TWP:                        0%
Philadelphia Gas Works:             0%
UGI Utilities - Gas:              9.3%
UGI Central Penn Gas:             0.2%
UGI Penn Natural Gas:             0.7%
Valley Energy:                      0%