New Default Service Plans, Same Result: Two Pennsylvania Utilities Seeing Decline in Residential Shopping

As anticipated, the new default service supply portfolios which took effect June 1 at the major Pennsylvania electric distribution utilities have not improved retail market conditions, as two utilities have again seen a decline in residential electric shopping during the most recent week.

Specifically, both PECO and PPL saw a net decline in the number of residential customers on competitive supply for the most recent week, while the aggregate growth in residential shopping statewide was a scant 1,100 accounts (or a mere one-tenth of the weekly growth seen late last year).

Specifically, from about June 5 to about June 12 (report date varies slightly by utility), the weekly change in residential electric customers on competitive supply at each EDC was:

Duquesne Light          278
Met-Ed                1,436
PECO                   (422)
Penelec                 219
Penn Power               49
PPL                    (688)
West Penn Power         199

In fact, PECO has lost 1,500 residential customers on competitive supply since the week of May 22.

Duquesne Light had also been seeing declining residential shopping during late May (dropping from 237,420 shopped accounts as of May 18 to 237,213 as of June 1, but has recovered that loss in the June 12 report, with 237,491 residential shoppers).

Matters would note that, originally, it was anticipated that significant growth in the number of residential shoppers was expected beginning June 1 though the opt-in aggregation programs, but as previously reported those programs have been indefinitely shelved.

Link to 6/12 Weekly Migration Report

Link to Matters' comparison of 6/5 stats and 6/12 stats