The Pennsylvania Public Utility Commission (PA PUC) oversees utilities in your state, including electricity and natural gas. They also operate the state natural gas shopping site, PA Gas Switch.
That’s a quick summary of what you need to know about PA PUC and PA Gas Switch.
What Does the PA Public Utility Commission Do?
According to the PA Public Utility Commission website, “the Pennsylvania Public Utility Commission regulates the many essential utility services that Commonwealth residents and businesses rely on every day.” That includes safe and reliable delivery of electricity, water, natural gas, telecommunications and wastewater services.
PA PUC manages the following for Pennsylvania natural gas:
- Reviews rate case filings from Pennsylvania natural gas utilities. The utility companies (like PECO Gas, Columbia Gas of PA and others) must submit their proposed gas rates. The PA PUC must review and approve their rates for both their delivery and supply.
- Oversees consumer complaints and consumer affairs
- Manages utility assistance programs
- Manages license and oversight of natural gas suppliers and brokers
- Provides natural gas shopping tools and education like PA Gas Switch
What is PA Gas Switch?
PA Gas Switch is a comparison shopping site for natural gas, managed by the PA PUC. This site can help you shop competitive gas deals and compare gas rates in PA. The site lists information on every gas distributor and supplier offers.
NaturalGasPlans is a PA Gas Switch Alternative. We make it easy to choose from the best natural gas plans in Pennsylvania. There are a select number of suppliers on our site, all with a reputation for excellent pricing and customer service.
We vet and review all suppliers and only feature plans that offer value to consumers. Plus, we calculate your estimated bill for each plan for you and present everything in a simple format.
Shop PA Natural Gas Rates by Zip Code
Price to Compare Natural Gas Rates in PA
Pennsylvania distributors (utilities) set their price to compare based on their cost for natural gas. Distributors must submit their rates to the PA PUC for approval. Rates change quarterly for the natural gas utilities. You can view current and historical rates for each utility online.
What is the PA Office of Consumer Advocate?
The Office of Consumer Advocate (OCA) serves as Pennsylvania consumers’ representative to the Public Utility Commission.
They maintain information on supplier rates, called the Natural Gas Shopping Guide, a PDF supplier rate sheet for each distributor market. They also maintain information on what percentage of PA consumers have switched to a supplier. Their largest role is managing consumer concerns over their electricity bill.
If you think that you have been switched to a supplier without your consent (slammed) or have a complaint about your natural gas supplier, you can call the OCA toll free at 800-684-6560 or email them at consumer@paoca.org.