California Electricity Market Scheduled to Re-open in July 2010
January 11, 2010
March 2010 Decision Will Determine Re-opening of Electric Market for California Businesses
California businesses will soon have an opportunity to save money on their electric bill by shopping for an energy supplier. The California Public Utilities Commission moved a step closer to giving more customers the right to shop for electricity late November, by setting a procedural schedule for implementing a new, higher cap on the amount of customers who can shop for electricity.
California businesses will want to keep an eye on the middle of March, 2010, when the PUC expects to issue a final decision on how to expand the number of businesses who can shop for electricity. The expansion of shopping, known as Direct Access (DA), is currently scheduled for July 1, 2010, and will occur over a three to five year period. Although, the speed at which the expansion occurs, as well as how customers may apply to be eligible to shop for electricity, need to be determined by the PUC. Those issues will be addressed in the PUC’s March order.
Given the large savings that California businesses can expect from shopping for electricity, space available under the cap will likely go fast. Customers will want to be ready to shop for electricity and submit a switch request as soon as possible to avoid getting locked out of the opportunity to choose their energy provider.
Contact your GSE sales rep immediately to start gathering the necessary information to facilitate the shopping process in order to find the best rate and energy company for your business. GSE energy experts will help your business navigate through the process of evaluating competing energy companies and their associated pricing offers and contracts. It is critical to begin the process now, ahead of the re-opening of the market, in order to insure eligibility and avoid being locked out under the new cap.
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