New York

  • Customer Choice Overview

    There are three basic changes as a result of competition. First, electricity is being split into separate services. Before retail competition, the utility generated or bought the electricity and delivered it to you. Now, under Electric Choice, you choose the supplier who provides the electricity and the utility company delivers the electricity to you. The image below illustrates the separation of services resulting from competition.

    For additional consumer information and resources, visit the New York State Department of Public Service website*.

    *By clicking this link, you are leaving FirstEnergy's website and entering a website maintained by the NYS Department of Public Service.  They are entirely responsible for the content of their website.

  • Educational Materials

    To help consumers understand the changes that are happening in their electric service in New York, a series of fact sheets covering some of the key issues have been prepared.

    You can click to select from the following topics:


    For additional consumer information and resources, visit the New York State Department of Public Service website*.

    *By clicking this link, you are leaving the FirstEnergy website and entering a website maintained by the NYS Department of Public Service.  They are entirely responsible for the content of their website.

  • Enrollment

    Penelec customers in the Waverly, NY, area now can choose the company that generates their electricity. You can shop for a supplier, just as you shop for other products and services.

    This power to shop for electricity lets you decide what's important to you. Saving money may be your highest priority. You can shop for the lowest price. Or maybe you're interested in new services. You can shop based on those needs. You may be interested in environmental issues. You can shop with your environmental concerns in mind.

    With choice, you make the decisions based on your needs. For additional consumer information and resources, visit the New York State Department of Public Service website*.

    Another resource is FirstEnergy's Retail Choice Center, which has specially trained representatives to help you with your questions about electric choice. The toll-free number for the Retail Choice Center is 1-888-478-2300. The changes in the way you buy electricity don't have to be confusing. Penelec is committed to giving you the information you need to understand and benefit from this choice. We encourage you to shop for a new supplier to supply your electricity needs.

    *By clicking this link, you are leaving FirstEnergy's website and entering a website maintained by the NYS Department of Public Service.  They are entirely responsible for the content of their website.

  • Information for Small Business

    Small businesses will have their own special needs as changes unfold in the electric industry. The following sections offer information to address some questions and concerns that small business owners might have.

    For information about electric competition, call FirstEnergy's Retail Choice Center toll-free at 1-888-478-2300.

    For additional consumer information and resources, visit the New York State Department of Public Service website*.

    • Small Business - Demand Charges

      As small businesses shop for an electricity supplier, they should compare two separate charges: one for the amount of energy they consume and another for demand.

      Most of us think of electric bills in terms of the total amount of electricity used. The more power we use in a month, the more we expect to pay. The less we use, the less we expect to pay.

      But, unlike residential customers, most businesses pay for more than just the amount of kilowatt-hours (kwh) they consume. Most businesses also pay for demand. Demand is measured in kilowatts (kw). Demand is the rate at which electricity is delivered at a given instant or averaged over some period of time.

      For example, suppose you turn on ten 100-watt bulbs. They "demand" one kilowatt (10 bulbs times 100 watts = 1,000 watts = one kilowatt). Fifteen minutes later they have used one-fourth of a kilowatt-hour (1 kilowatt times one-fourth of an hour). However, their demand remains one kilowatt. If the lights stay on for one hour, the consumption would be one kilowatt-hour. But, the demand still would be one kilowatt.

      If everyone used a steady flow of electricity throughout the day, every day of the year, there would be fewer challenges for the electrical supplier. But that isn't the case. Electricity use rises and falls throughout the day.

      For example, two customers each use 1,200 kilowatt-hours in a day. One has a steady demand of 50 kilowatts (50 kilowatts x 24 hours = 1,200 kilowatt-hours). The supplier needs 50 kilowatts of generating capacity to serve the customer.

      The second customer has a demand of 30 kilowatts for 23 hours and 510 kilowatts for one hour. Total electricity used is 1,200 kilowatt-hours (30 kilowatts x 23 hours + 510 kilowatts x 1 hour = 1,200 kilowatt-hours). However, now the supplier must have 510 kilowatts of generating capacity standing by to serve this customer.

      Demand charges assign to each customer the cost of the power supplies needed to satisfy his maximum demand.

      In choosing a supplier, a business should compare demand charges and kilowatt-hour charges. Businesses must consider what their total electric bill will be. A total bill includes charges for both kilowatt-hours and for kilowatt demand.

    • Small Business - Time-Of-Use Pricing Options

      Business customers shopping for an electricity supplier should check for pricing options based on the time when they actually use electricity. These options offer an opportunity for lower electricity prices during certain hours of the day, days of the week or even seasons of the year.

      Before settling on an electricity supplier, learn your present electricity usage pattern by reviewing historical usage information for your business. The information is available from your local electric distribution company. Some electricity providers may refer to this historical usage information as a load profile.

      A business may find that it can significantly reduce its electricity costs by rescheduling its usage. For example, a factory that can schedule production runs during the night may pay less for electricity during that time. Or, a water authority could run its electric pumps to fill large storage tanks at night and pay less for the electricity used to run the pumps.

      Here are some examples of pricing tied to when electricity is used. Before deciding on a supplier of electricity, you should consider the needs of your business against all the options available.

      Time-of-use rates and metering.
      The cost of producing electricity varies throughout the day. Time-of-use rates and metering connect the amount of electricity used with the time it was used. Like long distance telephone calls, prices are higher during some periods of the day than others. Customers with this type of pricing plan can save money by moving their greatest electricity usage to periods when the prices are lowest.

      Real-time pricing.
      At the end of a business day, customers with the real-time pricing option are quoted actual prices for electricity for each hour of the next business day. Special meters record electricity usage for each hour. The amount billed is based on the price set for each hour. Customers truly pay a commodity price based on actual costs, not a rate based on average costs. Customers can reduce their electricity costs by adjusting their usage to the most favorable hours of the day based on the actual prices they'll be charged.

      Discounts for curtailing electricity usage.
      During periods of high demand for electricity, such as during a heat wave, power suppliers may face difficulty keeping up with demand. Also, the prices they would have to pay for additional electricity to serve their customers would be extremely high. As a result, suppliers may offer special credits to customers who, when asked, agree to reduce usage by a predetermined amount. For example, a large industrial facility could receive a credit on its electricity bill for cutting back its usage during a heat wave. Or, a hospital could receive a credit from its supplier on its bill for running its emergency generators to reduce the demand on its supplier for electricity.

    *By clicking this link, you are leaving FirstEnergy's website and entering a website maintained by the NYS Department of Public Service.  They are entirely responsible for the content of their website.

  • Shopping

    All Penelec Waverly NY customers can join the New York Retail Access program by signing up for service with an energy service company or supplier. These suppliers will need information such as your name, address, phone number and 20-digit customer number found on Page 3 of your electric bill. The supplier may also require customers to allow Penelec to release their energy use and account information.

    When you shop, you'll use the "Price to Compare" to check the prices offered by suppliers. To save money, you must buy electricity from a supplier at a price that is less than Penelec's price to compare.

    If you have any questions about New York's Retail Access Program, residential customers can call 1-888-ASK-PSC1. Business customers can call 1-877-661-9223 or for additional consumer information and resources, visit the New York State Department of Public Service website*. For information on the Retail Access program, you can call FirstEnergy's Retail Choice Center toll-free at 1-888-478-2300.

    *By clicking this link, you are leaving FirstEnergy's website and entering a website maintained by the NYS Department of Public Service.  They are entirely responsible for the content of their website.

  • Price to Compare

    If you would like to see FirstEnergy Pennsylvania Company’s (FE PA) Prices to Compare for our New York customers. Click on the heading below New York Tariffs and then click on PTC Statement. There you will see the current Prices to Compare. Use your figure to compare the prices offered by different electric generation suppliers. You will save money if you buy electricity from an electric generation supplier for less than your Price to Compare. If you are not sure of your rate class, you can find it on the first page of your electric bill, just above your account summary.

    For additional consumer information and resources, visit the New York State Department of Public Service website*.

    *By clicking this link, you are leaving FirstEnergy's website and entering a website maintained by the NYS Department of Public Service.  They are entirely responsible for the content of their website.

  • Supplier List

    The New York Public Service Commission (NYPSC) and Penelec are responsible for determining the eligibility status of suppliers. All eligible suppliers must post a bond that will ensure their financial responsibility and the supply of electricity to satisfy their contracts or agreements.

    Currently, there are no suppliers that have met all the requirements to serve New York customers.

    For phone numbers and websites of eligible suppliers, you can call the NYPSC toll-free at 1-888-ASK-PSC1 or for additional consumer information and resources, visit the New York State Department of Public Service website*.

    For additional information about electric competition, call FirstEnergy's Retail Choice Center toll-free at 1-888-478-2300.

    *By clicking this link, you are leaving FirstEnergy's website and entering a website maintained by the NYS Department of Public Service.  They are entirely responsible for the content of their website.

  • Electric Choice Link

    For additional consumer information and resources, visit the New York State Department of Public Service website*.

    *By clicking this link, you are leaving FirstEnergy's website and entering a website maintained by the NYS Department of Public Service.  They are entirely responsible for the content of their website.

  • New York Tariffs

    The FirstEnergy Pennsylvania Company’s (FE PA) has certified with the New York Public Service Commission (NYPSC) that this is an accurate electronic representation of the tariffs which are officially filed at the Commission.

    Users of electronic tariffs should note that such tariffs are not the official documents, and users assume responsibility for reliance upon tariffs in electronic format.


    Current Tariff


    Current


    For additional consumer information and resources, visit the New York State Department of Public Service website*.

    *By clicking this link, you are leaving FirstEnergy's website and entering a website maintained by the NYS Department of Public Service. They are entirely responsible for the content of their website.


More Information

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