Electricity Marketers Attract Converts

In the first four months of California’s competitive market for electricity, slightly more than 83,000 electricity customers picked a new electricity provider, according to documents filed with the California Public Utilities Commission by Southern California Edison, Pacific Gas & Electric and San Diego Gas & Electric. Those users represent slightly less than 1% of the 9.95 million utility customers that have been eligible to buy electricity from any marketer they choose since March 31, when the market was opened to competition. However, the customers who switched as of July 31 represent 8.2% of the electricity used in the eligible areas because many of the converts are large commercial and industrial customers. For example, about 13% of large industrial customers have gone to a new electricity marketer, representing 21% of that group’s electricity load. Nearly 58,000 residential customers picked an electricity provider other than their old utility during the four months, accounting for 0.7% of the eligible residential customers and 0.8% of residential electricity use.