How to switch electricity suppliers in the US

Start by checking whether your address has a choice of electricity suppliers.

The answer in 2 lines. Some US households can choose the company supplying their electricity; others cannot. Eligibility depends on state rules and your utility's service territory. Where retail choice exists, compare the supply offer with your current supply price, then check fees, renewal terms and cancellation conditions. The distribution utility still delivers electricity over its wires. Arrange a supplier change through the authorized enrollment process; do not request that your electric service be disconnected.

Work through these steps

Find your latest bill and identify the supply charge, delivery charge, current supplier and account details. Keep the account number private while researching.
Ask the distribution utility, using the contact information on your bill, whether your address is eligible for retail choice and where its state-approved supplier information is available.
Read the current contract and proposed offer together: check the supply price, recurring charges, introductory period, renewal method and any early termination fee.
Enroll only after reviewing the written terms. Save the agreement and confirmation, then check subsequent bills to verify the supplier and price.

Stop: danger

Before showing a salesperson your bill: verify who they represent and why they need the information. Do not share account details merely to obtain a quote.
Before canceling anything: distinguish switching the supplier from closing your electric service account. Confirm the correct process for your address.
Before assuming a free cancellation: read the contract and applicable state rules. Cancellation rights and fees are not uniform nationwide.

Can you actually choose?

The U.S. Energy Information Administration's customer-choice explanation describes why eligibility varies. Read it to understand the distinction between the supplier selling electricity and the distribution utility delivering it, then confirm eligibility with your utility.

A neighboring household may have different options because it is served by a different utility. Municipal utilities and cooperatives may operate under different arrangements. A state being described as a choice market does not establish that every residential address can shop.

If individual supplier choice is unavailable, ask your utility about its own rate options. Where a community electricity purchasing program applies, obtain that program's enrollment and opt-out terms before signing a separate supply agreement.

What not to do

Comparing a supplier's energy price with your entire bill, which also includes delivery and other charges.
Assuming a fixed supply rate means the total monthly bill cannot change.
Choosing an introductory offer without reading what happens afterward.
Accepting a promised saving without checking usage assumptions and fees.
Ignoring a switch confirmation naming a supplier you did not authorize.

Compare the full contract

Use your actual electricity consumption to assess an offer. Compare the supply cost for the same usage and include recurring charges. Check whether a quoted price depends on a usage band, payment arrangement or other condition.

A fixed supply rate offers price predictability for its stated term, but your consumption and other bill components can still change. A variable rate can change under the contract's formula or conditions. Ask where changes are disclosed and what happens when the agreement expires.

The Pennsylvania regulator's official explanation of fixed, variable and flat-rate offers illustrates these differences. Read the relevant category, then verify the actual contract and rules in your state. An offer described as unlimited may still have conditions and does not necessarily include delivery charges.

Use public tools and confirm the change

In Pennsylvania, the utility regulator operates an official switching guide and offer tool. Open the guide, select its comparison option and enter the service information requested. Review available offers and written disclosures before enrolling. Availability is not universal, and a listed offer does not guarantee savings.

Elsewhere, ask the distribution utility for the official state shopping resource and licensed-supplier information. Follow the applicable enrollment instructions and obtain the expected effective date. There is no single nationwide switching timetable.

Afterward, check that the bill shows the agreed supplier, rate and charges. Keep renewal notices and set a reminder to review them. In Pennsylvania, the regulator's contract FAQs explain returning to utility supply and cancellation conditions; use the matching question before requesting a return.

If you did not authorize a change, contact the utility and disputed supplier immediately and preserve the bills and notices. For a Pennsylvania case, the official unauthorized-switch dispute rule explains the restoration process. For other states, ask your utility which public regulator handles the complaint.

Good to know

Switching the seller of electricity does not itself change the distribution wires serving the home.
An outage is a delivery problem: use the outage contact on your bill rather than assuming the new supplier repairs local lines.
Keep assistance-program eligibility in mind. Ask whether changing supply arrangements affects any discount or bill assistance you receive.

A Pennsylvania household finds a lower advertised supply rate. Before enrolling, they check the official shopping resource and discover that the offer includes an introductory period and an early termination fee. They compare the written terms with their current agreement, save the enrollment confirmation and check the supplier information on their next bills.

A made-up story, for illustration.

Bobby

Sources, verification, confidence

Verified on November 6, 2026, for the United States. Confidence: high for the distinction between electricity supply and delivery and the cited Pennsylvania procedures; medium for address eligibility and contract outcomes, which require local verification. No nationwide switching fee, cancellation period or savings figure is asserted.