Uncertainty about electricity deregulation common

Electricity deregulation swept across the U.S. in the 1990s and into the 2000s, but the ideas was not limited to only within the borders of the country. While the market differs substantially from that in America, the Edmonton Journal reports that electricity providers in Canada have seen many of the same problems as the U.S.

With the electricity rates being offered by utilities in Alberta ranging around 15 cents per kilowatt-hour, nearly three times that of some of the lowest flexible rates in the province, many customers have been forced to consider the possibility of switching electricity providers.

However, many have been hesitant to make a move, unfamiliar with the market.

"I think complacency and lack of awareness among the public is the reason for most people not signing up," Nick Clark of Utility Network and Partners Inc. explained.

Meanwhile in the U.S., a survey of Pennsylvanians found most were aware that they could switch electricity providers, but many do not understand the process, according to The Philadelphia Inquirer. Few realize that the only change for them is a line on their utility bill.

"Electricity is difficult for people to wrap their heads around it," Doris Kaufman of Canadian utility Enmax told the Journal. "It is frustrating for consumers."