“In a compelling example of what Justice Louis Brandeis termed ‘states serving as laboratories of democracy,’ for nearly two decades, two retail electricity models, choice and monopoly, have operated in parallel, allowing reliable comparison of the two models on key indicators,” said COMPETE Counsel William Massey. “The data demonstrate that customer choice jurisdictions that steadily adapted and expanded retail choice out-perform, or at least compare favorably with, the states that have so far rejected broad-based customer market access.”

The study was released in conjunction with the summer meeting of the National Association of Regulatory Utility Commissioners, where the study’s academic approach and factual conclusions were welcomed by key state utility regulators.

Here are some of the highlights from the report:

• From 1997 through 2014, prices in customer choice jurisdictions increased 4.5% less than inflation, while prices in monopoly states increased 8.4% more than inflation. Electricity in monopoly states accounted for a larger share of the consumer cost of living in 2014 than in 1997, while electricity’s share of the consumer pocketbook in customer choice jurisdictions was less in 2014 than in 1997. Simply put, consumers in monopoly states had to dedicate more money to energy costs than in choice areas.
• From 2003-2013, accounts served by competitive suppliers increased 524% for commercial and industrial customers (C&I) and 636% for residential customers. This means having an energy choice is great for both businesses and customers, but slightly more so for the average energy consumer.
• From 2003-2014, electricity demand served by competitive suppliers surged even during a period of flat growth in consumption: 181% for C&I and 673% for residential. In other words, energy consumers want a competitive choice more than ever before!

All in all, energy choice locations outperformed monopoly areas, even when monopoly areas had more efficient technology!

You can find the full study at www.competecoalition.com.

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