Pennsylvania Electricity Companies

The Keystone State. An odd moniker, but you come to this blog for answers to confounding questions such as these. The initials of Pennsylvania were initially carved into the “keystone” of the arch that supports a notable bridge in the state. That’s one theory. Another one is that Pennsylvania played a critical role in holding together the states (the 13 original states) in the newly formed Union. If we had to put it up for a vote we’d go with the latter.

So now that we’ve dispatched with the requisite history lesson, let’s get to the reason we’re here – electricity. We’re going to shock you into place! Terrible puns aside, Pennsylvania like a handful of other states depend on two major entities to handle the generation and distribution of energy to the state. These two hotshots are Electric Generation Suppliers (EGSs) who create the power and set the prices. The second are Electric Distribution Companies (EDCs) who take care of the delivery.

When you move to a certain area in Pennsylvania you may opt to stay with the default EGS provider in your area or choose a new one. It’s an open market, something consumers in Pennsylvania appear to like (although you’ll find many who are opposed), and the four biggest electric companies in the state to choose from are Just Energy, Direct Energy, Constellation Energy and Green Mountain Energy.

All four have pros and cons, but before diving into the best way to compare between the four, it is helpful to key in closely on the standardized rate plan. This is where you can find the price per kilowatt-hour (kWh) as well as the cancellation policy (a key component, and one that can be tricky). Of the four, Green Mountain is considered the most customer focused. In fact, their J.D. Power score for customer satisfaction is literally through the roof. They score the highest of the four and well above the state average. Moreover, Green Mountain is also a leader with eco-friendly initiatives. The same J.D. Power gives them “5 out of 5 power circles,” a big deal on the corporate citizenship side.

Constellation brings to the table an oddity in the electricity arena. Normally a company’s fixed-rate renewable-energy plans are its most expensive options. Yet, with Constellation, this isn’t so. In fact, their green plans were comparable (and remain so) with the non-green plans. And while the J.D. Power ranking for Constellation isn’t quite up to par as that of Green Mountain, it is the second highest of all the EGSs in the states. Constellation will automatically renew the subscriber when the contract expires which some folks love, but others secretly despise. This writer would take this option any day of the week as having to renew something, especially something as important as an energy plan, is not something you simply want to leave to expire. Bring on the auto renewal!

This blog would stretch beyond our power if we detailed all the options in Pennsylvania. But now that you know what the leaders look and feel like it will be easier to make an informed decision.