With deregulation, Pennsylvania energy users now have a choice and the energy coming to your home is divided into three basic parts.

The first part is Pennsylvania power generation. This is the actual plant that produces the energy for your home. This can be in the form of burning fossil fuels, nuclear and other alternative forms of power production like solar arrays and wind turbines.

The next step is the transportation and distribution of power. This is the high voltage lines that come from the plants and the substations that reduce the high voltage down to the voltage that is used in your home or business.

The third and now deregulated part is the Retail Electric Provider, or REP. This is where your bill is generated, as well as who you pay your bill to. Now instead of few choices, there will be many, and the REPs will be competing for your business by offering extremely competitive rates, incentives and discounts to switch service providers, and many others. You may be able to get prepaid services, where you have one bill, with low kilowatt hour rates, where you pay the same amount each month, instead of the rate going up and down depending on the time of year, and how much electricity you use.

The actual electricity coming into your home or business won't change much, because this is all controlled by the Public Utility Commission of Pennsylvania, and other governing bodies that make sure that the power is safe and uninterrupted. This really means that Pennsylvania residents and businesses have a choice where their bill is coming from, and with more competition, comes better rates and service.

If you are not sure how much you are paying for electricity, it is stated on your Pennsylvania energy bill. It should be marked how much you are paying per kilowatt hour, as well as what your average monthly usage is. If you find that you are paying too much for electricity, or that your actual rates fluctuate, then it is time that you change service providers.

The Pennsylvania Office of Consumer Advocate is a local government agency, and their job is to represent utility service customers in the state. They can help you to better understand all of this information if it is still a little confusing. They can also help you find out where your power is coming from, and who your REP is currently.

No matter if you are tired of dealing with energy generation that still relies of fossil fuel and want a company that uses cleaner alternatives, or are tired of the high cost of electricity, or even both, you now have a choice in the matter, and you really need to take a stand. Soon old contracts will be expiring, and instead of getting locked back into the same company, who may not be providing the services you need, the lowest rates possible, or are not satisfying you needs, you can change.