Why Is Energy Deregulation A Good Thing?
Energy deregulation brings competition into the market which generally drives prices down. The consumer gets the freedom to choose who their supplier is, instead of having no choice at all.
Most suppliers offer a fixed price, which gives price certainty for both residential and commercial customers who, in turn, do not have to worry about up and down summer/winter pricing schedules.
Since most of the suppliers pick up the fee, it doesn't cost anything to save money. For example, I worked with a bar owner who was already in arrears with the incumbent utility. She was facing summer pricing (20% higher) and was about to close the bar. Solution: deregulation. The owner picked up a fixed price 30% lower than the incumbent utility's and was able to keep the bar open.
These are tough economic times and most home and business owners are hunting for pennies. It's nice to have a way to cut overhead on a service you cannot do without.
If energy deregulation is a good thing, why aren't all the states deregulated? Good question. If you are in a non-deregulated state, do something. Call your congressperson. Start a grass roots movement. Why pay more for power than your friends in deregulated states?