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Under New Jersey’s energy deregulation law, the supply portion of your electric or natural gas bill is separated from the delivery portion.  With the supply portion open to competition, customers can shop around for the best price on their energy supplies.  Their electric and natural gas distribution utilities will still deliver those supplies through their wires and pipes – and respond to emergencies, should they arise – regardless of where those supplies are purchased.  Purchasing your energy supplies from a company other than your electric or gas utility is purely an economic decision; it has no impact on the reliability or safety of your service.
  • Who should shop?
    Any electric or gas customer in New Jersey is eligible to shop, but those with higher usage may have an even greater incentive to do so. Commercial and industrial customers with peak loads of 750 kilowatts or more are subject to a retail margin of one-half cent per kilowatthour if they continue to buy their electric supplies from their utility. Those customers with peak loads of 1,000 kilowatts or above are also subject to hourly pricing (i.e. their supply costs change hour-by-hour to reflect the actual cost of generating electricity in that particular time period).
  • How do I shop?
    Listed at the bottom of the page are third-party electric suppliers licensed by the Board of Public Utilities to sell within the service areas of each of the state’s four electric distribution utilities, and a similar list of natural gas suppliers.  You may also wish to visit the websites of your electric or gas distribution company for specific information on buying third-party supplies within their service areas.

    Call several suppliers on the list so you can compare their offers.  You should have your company’s recent billing history available when you call, so the suppliers know how much energy you use and what your usage patterns are.

  • What questions should I ask the suppliers?
    One of the first things to ask about is the pricing options the supplier offers.  Generally, these options fall into three categories: Fixed, floating and hybrid.

    Fixed:   Under this option, a customer pays a set, agreed-upon price for energy supplies throughout the term of the contract.  Fixed price contracts can help customers save money if energy costs rise in the future.  Conversely, customers may end up paying more under a fixed price option if energy costs decline.

    Floating:  Also known as variable pricing, this option allows the customer’s price to rise or fall on a monthly basis as it tracks the wholesale cost of electricity or natural gas.  Generally, the customer’s price is a percentage of the wholesale cost, so there is a guaranteed saving built in regardless of the direction in which the wholesale price moves.

    Hybrid:  This option is a combination of the fixed and floating options.  In some cases, the customer pays a fixed price for part of the contract period, and a floating price for the remainder of the time.  In other cases, a fixed price will apply to some percentage of the customer’s supplies and a floating price will apply to the rest.

  • Other Important Questions
    Regardless of the option you choose, it is also important to ask the following questions:
    • What are my choices on the length of the contract?
    • Are there any penalties if I want to get out of the contract before it expires?
    • Does your price include New Jersey state sales tax?
    • Are there any other taxes, charges or fees included in your price?
    • Will I incur extra charges if my business’ usage goes significantly above or below my usual level of usage for a given period of time?
    • What billing options do you offer?  Can I pay one consolidated bill for both my energy supplies and the delivery service, or must I pay separate bills to my energy supplier and my distribution utility?
    • Do you offer other products or services (i.e. energy audits, consulting services, demand response, etc.) in addition to electricity or natural gas supplies?
    • Can I review your standard contract before I receive your price offer?
    • How long is your price offer valid?
    • If I accept your offer, how long will it take for service to begin?
  • Third Party Suppliers in Your Area
    Click on your current energy provider to find out which alternative electric suppliers serve your area.
    Electric:
    Atlantic City Electric
    JCP&L
    Orangel Rockland Electric
    PSE&G
    Gas:
    Elizabethtown Gas
    New Jersey Natural Gas
    PSE&G
    South Jersey Gas