Electricity competition gaining ground across U.S.

A recent report from the COMPETE Coalition found that electricity deregulation is continuing to thrive in the states with truly open markets, and customers are benefiting not only from the lower electricity rates but better service.

The report tracked a dramatic 53 percent rise in the number of customers being served by retail electricity providers from 8.7 million in 2008 to 13.3 million last year.

"As of the close of 2011, nearly one out of every five kilowatt-hours of electricity in America was supplied by a competitive provider – even though customer choice is denied to consumers representing 56% of total U.S. electricity load," Philip O’Connor, the report’s author, said in a statement.

This growth comes at a time when, between a growing emphasis on a efficiency and a slumping economy, electricity demand has stagnated.

William Massey, counsel for the COMPETE Coalition, points to the broad range of services retail electricity providers offer customers above and beyond anything from utility companies.

The growing popularity of electricity deregulation, or at least lower electricity bills, has put more pressure on states around the country that have avoided moving to a more competitive market.