If you’re living in Trenton, New Jersey then you have the freedom to select your electric supplier and save money on the electric bill. Trenton electricity rates are open to competition, thanks to the New Jersey Board of Public Utilities deregulating the electricity market in the late 1990s. Deregulating the electricity market has allowed outside energy suppliers to compete with the utility companies giving New Jersey residents a choice for the supply charge. The utility companies in the state are still responsible for managing the power lines that deliver the electricity to their customers.
The city of Trenton has a population of just over 80,000 and is located just 30 miles northeast of Philadelphia. Summers are hot and humid with temperatures rising above 90 degrees while the city is subject to cold winters receiving an annual snowfall between 25 to 30 inches per year.
Trenton Utility Companies
Trenton is located in the PSEG utility service area. This means if you’re planning on relocating to the city then you will have to set up the electricity account through PSEG. PSEG is the main utility company responsible for managing the lines and wires that deliver the electricity to customers in the city. This cost is known as the delivery charge and represents the regulated section of the electric bill. This means PSEG customers will not be able to select another utility company for the delivery service.
Trenton Power Outage
If the lights go out after you change electric suppliers then you will still need to contact the utility company. PSEG is responsible for resolving all power outages within its service area. Most power outages are caused by bad weather or even tree branches that fall on the power lines.
- PSEG Power Outage and Customer Support Number: 1-800-436-7734
Trenton Price to Compare
Along with delivering power to customers, PSEG is required to provide a default rate for supply charges to customers that elect not to choose another electric supplier. The default rate is a variable rate and often not competitive. This rate is often referred to as the price to compare. Customers can use the price to compare to determine their savings while shopping for an energy plan. If an electric supplier is offering a supply rate lower than the price to compare, then the customer will save money by switching to the new plan.
New Jersey Energy Choice
Before energy deregulation, the utility companies had a monopoly over the generation, transmission, and delivery of power in their respective service area. If a customer was not happy about the rate, there was no choice for an alternative. This all changed in the late 1990s. The New Jersey Board of Public Utilities introduced energy choice opening the market to outside energy suppliers. The increase in the number of energy suppliers now providing supply services helped push down energy prices as suppliers had to compete for customers.
Select an Energy Plan
With more energy suppliers entering the market, Trenton residents now have a variety of energy plans to select from. The type of energy plans the customer selects may determine which energy supplier is best suited to provide such a plan. For example, Mountain Energy is known to have competitive renewable energy plans and quality service. However, most customers want the lowest rate possible and may be better suited with another supplier.
The two most common energy plans are fixed and variable rates. If you’re conservative, then most likely you will choose a long-term fixed rate. Fixed rates protect the customer against a volatile market. If energy prices increase, then the customer will be protected. However, if prices begin to drop then you might be stuck paying a higher rate.
Variable rates fluctuate monthly. It is not uncommon for an energy supplier to start a customer off on a low rate only to have the rate increase throughout the term. If you believe energy prices will begin to drop then you may consider selecting a variable rate plan. However, most variable rates can change at the sole discretion of the energy supplier. The good news is most variable rate plans do not have an early cancellation fee, allowing the customer to change to a fixed plan without penalty.
Renewable Energy Plans
Renewable energy plans are also growing more popular among customers. However, the technology is not quite there to generate electricity at competitive prices to compete with conventional plans. If you plan on going with a 100% renewable energy plan then you can expect to pay a high premium on the price. As time goes on and technology continues to improve then we can expect to see these plans become more competitive.
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