A new statewide poll from Terry Madonna Opinion Research shows 78 percent of Pennsylvania residents would consider switching to a competitive electricity provider if it meant they could save about 10 percent on the electricity generation portion of their utility bill.
The fall 2011 telephone poll of 801 Pennsylvania adults, commissioned by Constellation Energy (NYSE: CEG ), one of the nation's leading electricity suppliers, found that more than three-fourths of those polled are very likely or somewhat likely to choose a new supplier if they can reap savings of 10 percent or more.
“Given the challenges of today's economy, Pennsylvanians clearly are motived by the ability to save money – and if they're convinced they can save over a long period of time, they'll switch their electric supplier,” said pollster Terry Madonna. “It's clear more education needs to be done, because while nine out of 10 Pennsylvanians are aware they can change suppliers, our poll found that less than half have actually looked into changing.”
Madonna, director of the Center for Politics and Public Affairs at Franklin & Marshall College in Lancaster, said 88 percent of Pennsylvanians said they were aware that they can shop for and change their electric supplier; 45 percent have looked into actually changing. The state Public Utility Commission (PUC) reports that 23 percent of Pennsylvania residential consumers have changed electricity suppliers.
The poll found that of those Pennsylvanians who looked into changing their supplier, almost half had visited www.PAPowerSwitch.com sponsored by the state PUC to learn more about electric suppliers. And nearly nine in ten visitors to the site thought it was easy to use and understand.
“This poll reinforces the strong leadership role the state of Pennsylvania has played in helping to educate consumers so they can reap the many benefits that are available in the competitive electric market,” said David Fein, vice president and director of Retail Energy Policy for Constellation Energy. “Whether you are interested in price certainty, the opportunity for savings, innovative products and services, renewable or green energy options, you can find those in the competitive retail electric market,” Fein said.
“More states should follow Pennsylvania's lead by making customer education and outreach a high priority as part of the development of the competitive retail market,” Fein said, noting that business customers have been shopping and saving in the competitive marketplace for years but sustained educational outreach is critical to ensure more homeowners and renters become aware of these same opportunities.
Constellation Energy launched its residential offering in the Greater Philadelphia region this summer in the PECO service territory with multiple direct mail offers to 650,000 homeowners and renters. Constellation sells power to thousands of commercial, industrial and government customers in Pennsylvania, and has been active in the state since the onset of electric competition.
Constellation Energy, which serves two-thirds of Fortune 100 companies, can help customers save by offering power prices that reflect today's low wholesale costs when compared to standard utility rates. Consumers may learn more about the company's electricity savings at home.constellation.com .
Residential consumers who choose an alternative electricity supplier will continue to have their power delivered by their electric utility and will continue to contact their electric utility for queries about outages.
The telephone survey of 801 Pennsylvania adults was conducted during September, 2011. The survey was designed by Terry Madonna Opinion Research at the Center for Politics and Public Affairs at Franklin & Marshall College in Lancaster, Pa., and the interviewing was conducted by First Contact of Rehoboth, Delaware. The sample error for the total sample is plus or minus 3.5 percent. Telephone numbers for the survey were generated via random digit dialing. Respondents were randomly selected from within each household. The final sample was weighted (age, education, race, region, and gender) to correct for differential probabilities of selection and non-response using an iterative weighting procedure.
Constellation Energy ( www.constellation.com ) is a leading competitive supplier of power, natural gas and energy products and services for homes and businesses across the continental United States. It owns a diversified fleet of generating units, totaling approximately 12,000 megawatts of generating capacity, and is a leading advocate for clean, environmentally sustainable energy sources, such as solar power and nuclear energy. The company delivers electricity and natural gas through the Baltimore Gas and Electric Company (BGE), its regulated utility in Central Maryland. A FORTUNE 500 company headquartered in Baltimore, Constellation Energy had revenues of $14.3 billion in 2010.
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