Which states offer deregulated energy?

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Deregulation has given thousands of Texans the power to choose their energy provider since 2002. But Texas isn’t the only state with a deregulated energy market. There are 16 U.S. states that offer energy deregulation – and some also include a deregulated natural gas market.

Does your state offer energy choice? Read on to find out which states enjoy a deregulated electricity market.

Texas

Year of deregulation – 2002
Natural gas deregulation? – Available for commercial customers who meet a threshold of usage
Fun fact – About 85 percent of Texas enjoys energy choice – the largest percentage of any state!

Connecticut

Year of deregulation – 1998
Natural gas deregulation? – Yes, partially
Fun fact – The transition to deregulation also required suppliers to use renewable energy as a portion of the power source.

Pennsylvania

Year of deregulation – 1996
Natural gas deregulation? – Yes
Fun fact – Pennsylvania was one of the first states to encourage deregulation, beginning an investigation into the energy market in 1994.

Massachusetts

Year of deregulation – 1998
Natural gas deregulation? – Yes
Fun fact – According to estimates, since deregulation began, Massachusetts consumers have saved about $1.5 billion.

New Jersey

Year of deregulation – 1999
Natural gas deregulation? – Yes
Fun fact – Currently, only about 20 percent of New Jersey residents have taken advantage of their power to choose.

New York

Year of deregulation – 1997
Natural gas deregulation? – The state does not offer natural gas choice to residential customers.
Fun fact – In New York, energy providers are called Energy Services Companies, or ESCOs.

Illinois

Year of deregulation – 1997
Natural gas deregulation? – About 75 percent of residential customers can enjoy natural gas choice.
Fun fact – In Illinois, energy providers are called Alternate Retail Electricity Suppliers, or ARES.

Delaware

Year of deregulation – 1999
Natural gas deregulation? – No
Fun fact – Delaware consumes approximately 100 times more energy than it produces.

Maine

Year of deregulation – 2000
Natural gas deregulation? – Only for industrial and commercial customers
Fun fact – Biomass supplies a quarter of Maine’s net energy generation.

Maryland

Year of deregulation – 1999
Natural gas deregulation? – Depending on the area, some customers are not eligible for natural gas choice.
Fun fact – In 2019, Maryland required 50 percent of the state’s electric sales be generated from renewable power sources by 2030.

Michigan

Year of deregulation – 1998
Natural gas deregulation? – Yes
Fun fact – Michigan is home to one of the largest pumped storage power plants in the world! The Ludington pumped-storage plant sits on Lake Michigan and holds a generating capacity of more than 2,000 MW.

New Hampshire

Year of deregulation – 1998
Natural gas deregulation? – Not for residential customers
Fun fact – New Hampshire was the first state in the country to begin the process of switching to a deregulated energy market.

Ohio

Year of deregulation – 1996
Natural gas deregulation? – Yes
Fun fact – Ohio is the country’s eighth-largest producer of ethanol with 7 ethanol plants and a total generating capacity of 680 million gallons annually.

Oregon

Year of deregulation – 1997
Natural gas deregulation? – No
Fun fact – In 2018, Oregon was the nation’s second-largest producer of hydroelectric power.

Rhode Island

Year of deregulation – 1996
Natural gas deregulation? – Yes
Fun fact – As of 2017, competitive energy suppliers in Rhode Island supplied about 47 percent of the state’s electric load.

Virginia

Year of deregulation – 2007
Natural gas deregulation? – Limited for residential customers
Fun fact – In 2018, natural gas accounted for 53 percent of Virginia’s electricity net generation.

Caitlin Cosper is a writer within the energy and power industry. Born in Georgia, she attended the University of Georgia before earning her master’s in English at the University of North Carolina at Charlotte.