Three-Quarters Of Pennsylvanians Still Haven't Switched Their Electricity Providers

Scott Detrow

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Scott Detrow is a congressional correspondent for NPR. He also co-hosts the NPR Politics Podcast.

Detrow joined NPR in 2015 to cover the presidential election. He focused on the Republican side of the 2016 race, spending time on the campaign trail with Donald Trump, and also reported on the election's technology and data angles.

Detrow worked as a statehouse reporter for member stations WITF in Harrisburg, Pennsylvania, and KQED in San Francisco, California. He has also covered energy policy for NPR's StateImpact project, where his reports on Pennsylvania's hydraulic fracturing boom won a DuPont-Columbia and national Edward R. Murrow Award in 2013.

November 14, 2011 | 3:12 PM

A recent public hearing found nearly nine in ten Pennsylvanians are aware they can shop around for different – and possibly cheaper – electricity providers. Despite the high awareness level, just a quarter of customers have made the switch.
More from KYW’s Tony Romeo:

Polling data from different sources was reviewed at a hearing on power choice conducted by the Public Utility Commission. Kevin McCloskey of Alphabuyer says his firm found that 86-percent of Pennsylvania residents are aware of electricity deregulation, but many are just apathetic about it.
“Apathy relating to ‘the potential savings just aren’t worth the time and effort’.”
But despite that perception among customers, 23-percent have made a switch and PUC Vice Chairman John Coleman thinks that’s good considering the entire state only recently reached competitive status.