That's kind of old news in Ohio, said Robert Tongren, who, as the Ohio Consumers' Counsel, is the public's advocate regarding utility issues. Now, the entire state is just weeks into allowing people to shop for electricity, a process that Tongren thinks will proceed more slowly than with natural gas. The state's newly deregulated electric industry should bring more choices and lower prices to Ohio's residents, Tongren said. But those residents, and the businesses selling services and energy, will need time to sort out this new way of doing things, he said.
Residents have the option of staying with their current electricity and natural gas suppliers.
But if people want to shop and perhaps save money or otherwise buy from a company that they prefer, they now have that option, he said. Although natural gas rates have increased substantially in the past year, people who shopped were able to buy gas at a cheaper rate than they otherwise could have, he said. His office, the Public Utilities Commission of Ohio and the state's investor-owned utilities have created charts that compare the prices of electricity and natural gas. People won't notice great savings under electric deregulation, largely because of the rate freeze that's in place for the next five years, he said. After the five-year market development period ends, Ohio residents should be able to have a wide variety of electricity providers from which to choose, Tongren said.