Six Pennsylvania Utilities Seeing Residential Customers Leave Competitive Supply; Growth Only Recorded at Two LDCs

Only two of Pennsylvania's natural gas distribution companies saw growth in the number of residential customers on competitive supply during October, while six LDCs saw a decline in residential shoppers, according to the latest data from the PUC.

Link to PUC October migration report

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

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

As listed on the PUC's October report, some 36,500 residential gas customers at PECO were taking competitive supply in October, which represents growth of nearly 2,400 migrated residential accounts versus September. This October monthly growth is up from the growth of 1,800 shoppers during September.

Six distribution companies, however, saw a decline in residential shoppers in October versus the September totals. Per the PUC data, these utilities, and the loss of residential shoppers versus September, were:

Columbia Gas:                        (357)
Equitable Gas:                        (90)
National Fuel Gas Distribution         (8)
Peoples Natural Gas:                  (47)
UGI Central Penn Gas:                  (2)
UGI Penn Natural Gas:                 (12)

The only other LDC to see an increase in residential shopping during October was UGI Utilities - Gas Division, where the growth in the number of residential customers on competitive supply from September to October was 139 accounts, down from the growth of 541 accounts during September and 978 during August.

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

Columbia Gas:                    27.8%
Equitable Gas:                    6.0%
National Fuel Gas Distribution:   9.5%
PECO:                             8.1%
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:             0.6%
Valley Energy:                      0%