When New Jersey’s Electricity Discount and Energy Competition Act was instated in 1999, residents of the state were given the unique opportunity to shop for their own gas and electricity rates. This act allowed individuals in certain state-appointed deregulated areas of New Jersey to shop around for their own electricity supplier.
As area energy suppliers compete for the business of New Jersey customers, residents are able to choose an electricity rate that fits their individual budget, preferences and expectations. Business and residential property owners alike can shop plans from third-party suppliers and choose plan that meet their needs.
Since deregulation took place, countless independent energy suppliers have emerged, creating plans to meet the needs of virtually every type of consumer. These plans offer everything from fixed-rate guarantees to special buyer incentives and warranties. Above all, many of these plans offer New Jersey energy consumers the ability to save on their monthly bill.
Do You Have the Power to Choose?
New Jersey is split up into four different utilities and most of these utilities are what the state labels as “deregulated” meaning they allow their residents to choose their own energy provider. While not every New Jersey resident has the power to choose, if your property lies in a deregulated area you can start shopping for your preferred electricity plan today. The state of New Jersey is divided into the following deregulated utilities:
Atlantic City Electricity – Covers much of southern New Jersey, including Atlantic, Burlington, Camden, Cape May, Cumberland and Ocean, as well as other surrounding communities.
Jersey Central Power and Light (JCP&L) – Covers several coastal areas including Toms River, Long Branch, Silverton and Fort Dix, and surrounding areas.
Orange and Rockland Electric – Serves customers in Orange County, Rockland County and Sullivan County.
Public Service Enterprise Group (PSE&G) – Serves more than 2 million electric customers in the state across areas such as 300 communities throughout the central and norther portion of the state.
If you are still unsure if your property lies within one of the deregulated utilities, visit our proprietary shopping tool on Electric Choice to find out more. Just type in your New Jersey zip code and we will let you know if you lie within one of these utilities and what options you have for your new electricity plan.
Shopping for the Best New Jersey Electricity Providers
If you are one of the many New Jersey residents who has never shopped for a new electricity plan before, then you could be missing out on potential savings with your monthly bill. Fortunately, we have made it easy to start shopping for a new energy provider. Whether you have never switched utility providers before or if you just want to see if different options are available, finding a new provider is easy.
With our user-friendly tools, you can be on your way to a new electricity service that meets your individual needs as a consumer. Shopping for a new electricity provider is simple as these three steps:
1. Decide what you are looking for in your energy plan. This can mean lower monthly payments, short term options or plans that offer greener energy sources.
2. Type your New Jersey zip code into our shopping tool to determine if your home lies with a deregulated utility, and to see what options are available.
3. Browse through each plan and start comparing rates and offers until you find a plan that meets your specific needs.
Who are the Energy Providers in New Jersey?
In New Jersey, residing in one of the state?s deregulated communities means having the power to choose which energy retailer you use for your monthly service. Each provider offers their own unique consumer benefits and options for customers. The state of New Jersey is serviced by the following energy retailers:
Ambit Energy
Champion Energy
Commerce Energy
Constellation Energy
Direct Energy
Gateway Energy Services
Green Mountain Energy
Hudson Energy
Infinite Energy
Intelligent Energy
Just Energy
Liberty Power
Nextera Energy Services
Stream Energy
Suez Energy
Verde Energy
Shopping for the Best New Jersey Electric Rates
Are you ready to see what type of electricity plans you have been missing out on? If you are, then visit our comprehensive shopping tool. All you need is your New Jersey zip code, and we?ll handle the rest. If your home lies within one of the deregulated utilities of the state, we will start showing you new plans and options that may fit your needs.
Electricity For Homes
On average, homes in New Jersey are 20% larger than other homes in areas of the United States. In total, the average energy consumption is 127 million Btu annually, which means the approximate consumption per homes in New Jersey, is 8,902 kWh per year. Despite the low average consumption, residents pay, on average, $3,065 per year for energy, making this state one of the highest in energy costs in the country.
The majority of New Jersey residences are single-family homes, making up over 70% of the market. Apartment units make up approximately 25%, while mobile homes only make up about 5% of the total number of residences. The average square footage of homes is, 2,399.
When it comes to heating, air conditioning and other appliances, the breakdown of electricity use shows that space heating consumes the majority of energy in New Jersey homes. Compared to the rest of America and the mid-Atlantic, this is an average consumption rate. For a breakdown of what energy is primarily used for in homes, take a look at the following breakdown:
- Space Heaters: 49%
- Appliances, electronics, lighting: 30%
- Water Heating: 18%
- Air Conditioning: 3%
Natural gas is used in 80% of New Jersey homes for heating, and 63% have central air conditioning systems. 93% of households use air conditioning equipment of some kind.
Most homes in New Jersey have two televisions and just above 50% of households have a DVR. Over 60% of residences have only one refrigerator, while only 20% have a separate freezer. More New Jersey households have double or triple pane windows and a programmable thermostat compared to the national average.
Electricity for Businesses
There are seven major industries in the state of New Jersey including, life sciences, healthcare, technology, financial services, logistics, manufacturing and food. All require electricity in to some degree, and some require more energy than others like, manufacturing and healthcare for example.
- 36.8% of energy is consumed by the Transportation sector.
- The Commercial sector consumed 26.6%.
- 26.1% of energy is consumed by the Residential sector.
- The Industrial sector consumed 10.5%.
New Energy Initiatives
New Jersey Smart Start Buildings is an initiative developed by New Jersey’s Clean Energy Program. The initiative helps those who are looking to build, renovate, or upgrade to higher energy efficiencies for the proposed project. The initiative offers different kinds of free support to help residents gain more energy savings.
Acceptable projects can receive financial assistance of varying size to help with the some or all of the cost of buying energy efficient equipment. If the project requires custom energy efficient measures, the program also provides an opportunity for flexibility in equipment options.
There are several categories applicants can apply under including,
- New Construction and Additions
- Renovations
- Remodeling
- Equipment Replacement
Pre-approval is not required for many projects, unless they relate to prescriptive and performance lighting, customs measure, and lighting controls.
