<p>Wondering what others have experienced with this.</p>
<p>In NJ, we have the option to select an alternate energy supplier for home use.
So, the big default utility still delivers your electric but you opt to purchase the actual electric at a supposedly reduced rate from an independent supplier. Still one bill, so kin of seamless.</p>
<p>Last year, I dove in and switched our electric. Rate WAS lower for many months, now a titch above the default company.
So, I stopped online, and found new company for BOTH electric and gas. Took only a few minutes.
I guess as long as I monitor the unit price on the paper bill each month, I’ll be OK.</p>
<p>We have done this several times. We also live in NJ (JCP&L territory). What I’ve found with at least 3 alternative suppliers is that the electricity rate starts out lower than JCP&L’s rate, but after 6-12 months you check your bill and find you are paying a significantly higher rate than JCP&L’s. So I then go and check on-line and choose a different alternative supplier and start the process all over again.</p>
<p>It seems like all these alternative suppliers are using a bait and switch strategy, where they entice you with a discounted rate for the first few months and then trust that you won’t look at your electric bill very closely after they raise their rate above JCP&L’s rate after 6 months or so. The only counter strategy I’ve come up with is to look closely at the bill every month and to switch to a different supplier the moment the rate goes above JCP&L’s rate.</p>
<p>I would think there would be much less variation in rates for gas - you are just purchasing the gas commodity which trades at a well known price. Electricity costs depend very much on the mix of generation - coal, gas, nuclear, hydro, wind, solar, etc. so each electricity supplier will have different costs.</p>
<p>DadX3, JCPL electric land for us also; PSEG for gas. Interesting that you’re seeing similar to us. I even called the alternate supplier to call them on their no longer competitive rate and they were quite disinterested in offering me an option to stay with them. See ya.</p>
<p>I have no problem checking my bill to make sure I’m still saving each month!</p>
<p>Also in NJ. I’m hesitant to make the switch again after getting burned last summer. I switched just our electric to a company that offered a lower rate plus airline miles that I knew we would use. After the introductory period ended, our rate suddenly jumped to almost 50% higher that JCP&L. By then we were in the summer months so the dollar amount was significant. We use autopay so it’s possible 2 months went by before I caught it. I called to complain and was put through to someone who agreed to give me some kind of group rate in the future. The whole way they handled setting the rate felt very wrong so I started the process to switch back to JCP&L. Getting switched back took some time so there was yet another billing cycle with the independent company. All in all the change cost me hundreds of dollars.</p>
<p>I found that I don’t have the time or patience to monitor the rate monthly so I’m sticking with the default utility.</p>
<p>Yes, our electric rate inconveniently increased in summer (AC) time also, Grits80.
In our case, it increased only to same as JCPL, not higher.</p>
<p>I am willingly to keep an eye on my rates as we can save 30ish dollars/month on electric only, hope to realize some on heating as well. But it IS annoying to have to monitor.</p>
<p>It could be your rate will vary based upon their cost of generation. Sources like nuclear and coal are pretty stable in their price since they tend to be generated at a fairly constant quantity. Gas, I believe, is a pretty expensive form of electricity, and is used for meeting peak demand. I could see it easily costing more money over the summer when lots of people run their AC.</p>
<p>OP update:
First electric supplier rose to same as JCPL after 6 months or so…
I called to see if they’d like to keep me as a customer and they were disinterested.</p>
<p>Switched again online and saved 17 dollars this month.
Switched GAS to this supplier as well. ( PSEG)</p>
<p>Thanks everyone! Cleaning house today I hit on a pile of these ads and was wondering if it would be worth it to me to change suppliers. If it is something I have to monitor each month, I am pretty sure that would not work! For the present I’ll stick with the default provider.</p>
<p>I just changed my electric supplier. I usually look for those that have a good fixed rate for 6-12 months so I’m not having to check on rates every month or get surprised by what may happen with a variable rate.</p>
<p>There are not good fixed rate options here, in fact some are HIGHER than the default.
Can’t figure who goes for those.
I still get a paper monthly bill so checking the prevailing rate against default only takes remembering when opening the bill. Worth my time to save 15-30 dollars a month.</p>
<p>The website for energy choice in nj is pretty good so finding a replacement is simple.</p>