The Power of Choice: Why Electricity Competition Works for Pennsylvania

Pennsylvanians comparison shop for everything from cell phone plans to insurance and internet service. Electricity should be no different.

Pennsylvania’s competitive electricity market gives consumers the ability to shop among licensed suppliers and choose the plan that best fits their needs. That means more control over one of the most important expenses in a household or business budget.

Here are some of the key benefits of competition:

• More consumer control. Customers can compare prices, contract terms, renewable energy options and other features instead of being limited to a single electricity supply option.

• Competition can help hold down generation costs. An analysis of Pennsylvania electric bills found that generation costs in 2025 remained generally consistent with historical averages when adjusted for inflation, even as transmission charges at several utilities increased substantially.

• Pennsylvania has seen long-term benefits from energy choice. An independent analysis found that competitive electricity supply prices in Pennsylvania in 2024 were roughly comparable to generation prices from 1996.

• The benefits extend beyond Pennsylvania. The Retail Energy Supply Association estimates that consumers in 14 competitive states and jurisdictions saved $530.6 billion from 2008 through 2024 compared with pricing trends in monopoly states.

• Pennsylvanians value the ability to choose. A Susquehanna Polling & Research survey of 729 likely Pennsylvania voters found 89% supported the ability to shop for electricity plans like they shop for cell phone, internet or TV service.

Competition does not mean every electricity plan will be right for every customer. It means consumers have options. For Pennsylvania electricity consumers, that ability to choose is what puts the power — quite literally — in their hands.