PPL announcing reduced rates beginning March 1 due to abundance of natural gas
Harrisburg, PA – Continued natural gas exploration and extraction in Pennsylvania is proving beneficial to the local energy market with PPL announcing that its electric rates will be reduced by about 10 percent beginning March 1, said Rep. Mario Scavello (R-Monroe).
“As a member of the House Appropriations Committee, I was pleased to hear this week during a budget hearing with the Department of Conservation and Natural Resources that due to the abundance of natural gas, the state’s primary energy supplier has announced a reduction in electric rates,” said Scavello. “This reduction will mark the lowest electric rates since state-mandated rate caps came off in 2010. This is a huge win for the hundreds of thousands of consumers who are customers of PPL.”
Scavello explained that natural gas is used as one of the main generators of electricity and with increased supplies of natural gas becoming available in the Commonwealth, the price for it has dropped, reducing the overall price of electricity as well.
“There has been a great deal of debate about the extraction of natural gas throughout the northeast and northwest regions of Pennsylvania. I am pleased to see that in just a very short amount of time, Pennsylvania residents are experiencing a very clear advantage of having this rich natural resource in our own backyard,” said Scavello.
“Everyone has been experiencing some financial strains due to a struggling economy and high unemployment rates, so the opportunity to have one of our primary household bills reduced is of great benefit,” continued Scavello. “I encourage everyone to examine their electric bill and check and see if they can now get a cheaper rate through a change in their supplier.”
The Pennsylvania Public Utility Commission (PUC) offers a one-stop shop website, www.papowerswitch.com, that includes information about electric shopping, what it is, how to shop and which suppliers are available, as well as the PUC’s list of competing suppliers and the Office of Consumer Advocate’s Shopping Guide pricing information. Consumers can shop based on price, environmental preferences or special services and deals. A ZIP-code search feature is also available so consumers can see all suppliers and offers serving a given area.
For more information on natural gas exploration in Pennsylvania or to access the PUC website, go to Scavello’s website at www.RepScavello.com.
