The Pennsylvania Public Utility Commission finalized rules forfull customer choice, setting the procedure by which all of thestate’s 5.2 million electric customers can choose suppliers.

Under Pennsylvania law, two-thirds of all customers becameeligible for choice at the beginning of this year. About 400,000customers have already selected a competitive supplier.Participating customers represent about 25% of total electricitysales in Pennsylvania. These customers are estimated to be saving$500 million annually on their electric bills.

Under the new rules for full customer choice, the commonwealth’sutilities will mail by Sept. 1 information packages to allcustomers that have not chosen a supplier. The packages willprovide customers with information about electric choice, includingtheir “price to compare” in shopping for a supplier and a list ofthe suppliers serving their rate class.

The packages will contain a postcard or other form which thecustomer can use to restrict release of all information to licensedsuppliers or to restrict release of just electric usageinformation. If release is not restricted by the customer, then theutility will provide to licensed suppliers the customer name,address, account number, rate class and usage information.Suppliers would not be given customer telephone numbers.

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