What Happens to My Utility When I Switch Suppliers?

Supply changes; delivery does not

Deregulation split the bill into generation (supply) and delivery (distribution, plus transmission in some states). When you choose a competitive supplier, you are replacing the company that sells you electricity, not the company that owns the poles and transformers [pa-puc-shopping-faq].

Pennsylvania's PUC FAQ lists three parts of service: generation, transmission, and distribution. When you shop, you choose who generates or supplies your electricity. Transmission may move to the supplier's bill. The electric distribution company that delivers power stays the same [pa-puc-shopping-faq].

Connecticut describes the same split: generation has been open to competition since 2000, while delivery costs remain fully regulated [ct-energizect-faqs]. Eversource and UI still deliver electricity and send the bill; only the generation rate line changes when you pick a supplier [ct-energizect-faqs].

For a cannabis cultivator that means:

• Still the utility: outage calls, meter ownership, delivery demand charges, rate class, line extensions, interconnection.
• Now the supplier: energy price, contract term, pass-through capacity in PJM, renewable content claims.

See understanding your commercial utility bill for line-by-line reading.

One bill or two

Most customers stay on consolidated billing.

Pennsylvania's FAQ: in most cases you receive a single monthly bill from your electric utility [pa-puc-shopping-faq]. Connecticut: you continue to receive one electric bill from Eversource or UI with the supplier's generation rate reflected [ct-energizect-faqs]. Some suppliers offer direct billing, which produces two bills [pa-puc-shopping-faq] [ct-energizect-faqs].

New Hampshire's Department of Energy notes that after choosing a supplier you remain a utility customer for delivery and will either get one consolidated bill or two [nh-doe-choosing-supplier]. Ask your supplier which method it uses before enrollment so accounts payable knows what to expect.

What you cannot shop away

Plug In Illinois is explicit: delivery service charges are the same whether or not you switch to an alternative retail electric supplier [il-plugin-choice]. That includes distribution energy charges and, on commercial demand-metered accounts, the per-kW facilities charge.

Charge type	Still on utility bill after switch?	Typical cannabis impact
Distribution demand (per kW)	Yes	Often 30 to 70% of bill for grows
Rate class (GS vs LS)	Yes	Determines demand threshold
Ratchet / minimum billing demand	Yes	Can lock in last summer's peak
Supply energy (per kWh)	Moves to supplier	Large share for indoor cultivation
Default vs contract capacity	Supplier or default path	PJM tags follow meter behavior

A supplier switch that saves two cents on energy but ignores a ratchet on delivery may disappoint. Read demand charges explained and utility rate classes explained before you attribute savings to supply alone.

Price to compare: the utility benchmark

Every choice state publishes a default supply price under a name like Price to Compare, Standard Offer Service, or Basic Generation Service.

Illinois defines ComEd's Price to Compare as the electric supply charge plus the transmission services charge. Effective June 1, 2026 the summer Price to Compare is 10.399 cents per kWh [il-ptc-comed]. The Purchased Electricity Adjustment on default service adjusts monthly; you are not subject to the PEA when on an alternative supplier [il-ptc-comed].

Pennsylvania defines the price to compare as the generation and transmission price the EDC charges, based on wholesale auctions, and suggests asking suppliers for a PTC to make an apples-to-apples comparison [pa-puc-shopping-faq].

A supplier quote beats default only if you compare the same components: taxes, capacity pass-through, and contract length included.

Returning to default and net metering

You can go back. Connecticut requires utilities to switch residential and small business customers back to Standard Service within two business days of a phone request [ct-energizect-faqs]. Your supplier may still charge an early termination fee.

Net metering is the main renewable wrinkle. Pennsylvania states that net-metering customers who switch will no longer receive utility credits after the switch and should ask suppliers about production credits before enrolling [pa-puc-shopping-faq]. Interconnection stays; credit mechanics change.

The utility is not offended

Illinois tells customers that utilities do not profit on default supply, pass through wholesale cost, and do not care if you switch [il-plugin-choice]. Connecticut's rate board FAQs say Eversource and UI will not be upset if you choose a supplier [ct-energizect-faqs]. Utilities are wires companies in restructured states; competition is the policy.

For timing, see how long switching takes. For eligibility, see can cannabis businesses choose a supplier.

Consolidated billing and accounts payable

Most customers receive one bill from the utility with supplier generation charges embedded [pa-puc-shopping-faq]. Accounts payable should know the supplier name even on consolidated bills so contract disputes go to the right party. Direct billing produces two invoices: delivery from the utility, generation from the supplier [ct-energizect-faqs]. Confirm which model your supplier uses before enrollment.

Rate class changes after switch

Switching suppliers does not change rate class. If you were on General Service with demand metering before switch, you stay on that class after switch [il-plugin-choice]. Reclassification requires a utility application or a change in load characteristics, not a supplier change. If your peak kW dropped after LED retrofit, request a rate review separately from supplier enrollment.

Cannabis reporting versus utility account

New York PowerScore and Connecticut annual electricity reporting pull data from the same meter the utility reads. Supplier switch changes who bills generation; it does not change the meter number your compliance report references. Keep account numbers consistent across cannabis filings and supplier LOA forms.

Outage and emergency response unchanged

Pennsylvania's shopping FAQ states your electric distribution company continues to supply and deliver electricity and respond to outage problems regardless of which generation supplier you choose [pa-puc-shopping-faq]. Plug In Illinois tells customers to keep calling ComEd or Ameren for outages [il-plugin-choice]. Your supplier phone number is for billing and contract questions, not downed lines.

Line extensions and capital projects stay with the utility

If you request upgraded service or a new transformer, that project stays between you and the utility. The supplier is not in the engineering study. Delivery facilities charges from line extensions appear on the utility bill whether you shop supply or not [il-plugin-choice].

Purchased Electricity Adjustment in Illinois

ComEd default supply includes a Purchased Electricity Adjustment that moves monthly with wholesale prices [il-ptc-comed]. Alternative retail electric supplier customers are not subject to the PEA on the utility default line because supply comes from the contract. When comparing offers, use the published Price to Compare plus understand you are leaving PEA volatility for contract pass-through volatility.

Tax and franchise surcharges

State and local taxes on delivery often remain on the utility bill after switch. Some jurisdictions tax supply separately when direct billed. Accounts payable should map tax lines on the first post-switch invoice against the pre-switch bill so savings calculations use total dollars, not supply kWh rate alone [pa-puc-shopping-faq].

First bill after switch: what to reconcile

Compare pre-switch and post-switch bills line by line:

Line	Expected change
Distribution demand ($/kW)	No change
Distribution energy	No change
Generation/supply energy	New rate from supplier or new line on direct bill
Transmission	May move to supplier section
Default supply benchmark	Disappears from utility supply lines
Taxes	May split differently on direct billing

Pennsylvania consolidated bills still show the distribution company name at the top [pa-puc-shopping-faq]. The generation rate line should reflect your supplier price. If delivery demand moved, that is unrelated to switch and means load or class changed.

Who to call for what after enrollment

Utility phone number: outages, meter problems, downed lines, service upgrades, rate class questions, return to default supply [il-plugin-choice] [pa-puc-shopping-faq].

Supplier phone number: contract price disputes, pass-through line items, renewal notices, billing errors on generation portion.

Broker phone number: only if broker placed the deal and contract assigns them as liaison; broker does not restore power.

Cannabis compliance reporting uses meter data regardless of supplier. OCM and DCP reporting in New York and Connecticut pull kWh from the same meter the utility reads [ct-energizect-faqs].

Misconceptions we hear from operators

Myth: The utility will raise delivery rates because I left default supply. Fact: Delivery tariffs apply equally to default and supplier customers [il-plugin-choice].

Myth: I need a new meter to switch. Fact: Supply change is administrative on the same meter [pa-puc-shopping-faq].

Myth: Outages are the supplier's problem. Fact: Call the wires utility for outages [il-plugin-choice].

Myth: Switching fixes demand charges. Fact: Delivery demand stays on the utility bill [il-plugin-choice].

SAID and supplier LOA mismatches

Enrollment delays happen when the supplier account name does not match the utility account holder exactly. Align DBA, LLC legal name, and cannabis license entity before LOA submission [pa-puc-shopping-faq]. A mismatch does not change legality of choice; it changes how many days until the switch completes.

Dual-vendor AP setup

Create separate vendor records for wires utility and supplier on first post-switch invoice even if consolidated billing arrives as one PDF [pa-puc-shopping-faq].