[IYAS9YAS]

“Choice” means they get to jack the price 50% and you’ll like it.

[Don Corleone]

You have the typical choice of government services, “Take it or leave it”

[gop4lyf]

I get to choose my electric company. I pay 6.7¢ kw/h

[ClearCase_guy]

I thought the choice was AC or DC.

[Red Badger]

You choose:

1. Yes I want electricity.

2. No I don’t want electricity.

[eyeamok]

I have never understood anything about the “choice” question on electricity. What choice?

Pay our extortion demands and high rates or Sit in the Dark

[wastoute]

As I understood it, that is why they are called Utilities. You get no choice. I remember reading of a Massachusetts town long ago trying to allow choice when water delivery systems were first being provided. Their streets were constantly torn up with competing water businesses.

[batterycommander]

You mean the power company doesn’t own the power lines too?? What do the other power companies do, rent the lines from the power company who own them and that’s why the price is so high?

[ConservativeMind]

Illinois has electricity choice. We are on Day-Ahead pricing (a prediction of Real-Time pricing), and we've saved over $600. I get a monthly email showing how it compared with the standard pricing.

[Skybird]

In addition to having the only one-house legislature (unicameral), Nebraska also has public power districts. Really no difference between a private utility though the “profits” are made to the served municipalities as “payments in kind” (like taxes). We also vote and elect the commissioners who run it. Rates seem to be held down to the average or lower level when compared to nearby states. In the truest sense, it’s socialized power production and distribution.

[Leaning Right]

Warning: Many scam companies have appeared in states that have true deregulation.

They offer low electricity teaser rates for three or six months. Then the rates start rising. Eventually you’ll be paying much more than you did before.

Their hope is that you just don’t notice it. Wanna cancel? Good luck getting through to their cancellation department.

[KarlInOhio]

I just changed suppliers in Ohio and it was pretty easy. The local utility still has a monopoly on delivery, but I dropped 1.8¢ / kWh or about $15 per month from the supply price. http://www.energychoice.ohio.gov/ApplesToApples.aspx lists every offer in your area and you can pick the options and sorting (fixed rate, one year minimum for me.). The local utility then just sends one bill.

[Ozark Tom]

Within 12 months another choice may be proven viable. If so, cord cutting for electricity can begin.

Don't get excited yet though--making a dent in the legacy system will require substitution of significant capacity--average of +450 Giga-watt produced at any given moment in the U.S.