Find Electric Companies For Your Home
In much of the country your electric utility is assigned by your address. In 18 states and Washington, D.C. you get to choose who supplies your power. Enter your ZIP code, and we’ll tell you which situation you’re in and who serves you.
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Utility or Provider? The Distinction That Decides Everything
Almost every confusing thing about electricity bills traces back to one question: are you dealing with a utility or a provider? A utility owns the poles and wires into your home and is assigned to you. A provider sells you the electricity itself, and in some states you pick it. Here is the difference in full.
Assigned to you
The Electric Utility
The company that physically delivers power to your address. Utilities are granted specific geographic territories, so you do not get to pick one. Where you live decides it. In Denver, for instance, that might be Xcel Energy, United Power, or CORE Electric Cooperative depending on the neighborhood.
Sometimes your choice
The Electricity Provider
A Retail Electric Provider does not generate power or own wires. It buys electricity wholesale and sells you a plan. Providers compete on rate, contract length, and energy source, which is where your ability to shop comes from.
The short version: a utility is a full-service operation that generates, manages, and delivers. A provider resells power in a competitive market. Which one you deal with depends on your state’s laws and your address.
Ownership
Three Kinds of Electric Utility
Who owns your utility shapes how it sets rates and where its priorities sit. There are three models in the United States.
IOU
Investor-Owned
For-profit companies owned by shareholders and answerable to state regulators. The most common model in the country, and the one serving most large metros.
Municipal
Publicly Owned
Run by a city, county, or state agency for a defined community. Without shareholders to pay, they tend to weigh local needs above profit.
Co-op
Cooperative
Non-profits owned by the members they serve. Common across rural America, where they were built to reach places investors would not.
Generation
Where Your Electricity Actually Comes From
Power from an outlet all feels identical, but it starts as coal, natural gas, wind, sun, uranium, or falling water. Once generated, it moves to your home across a network of transmission and distribution lines.
In a deregulated market this mix becomes a choice rather than a given. You can put your money behind a 100% renewable plan or opt for the cheapest conventional generation, and the grid delivers the same reliable power either way.
Deregulation
What You Get to Choose, and How
Eighteen states plus Washington, D.C. allow residential customers to buy electricity from a competing supplier, a policy known as energy deregulation. If you live in one, these are the plan types you’ll be comparing.
Fixed Rate
One price per kilowatt-hour locked for the contract term, like a mortgage. If rates near you are already low, locking in for a few years protects you from increases.
BEST FOR: BUDGET CERTAINTY
Variable Rate
Your rate moves with the market. Good if prices fall or you want to stay unlocked, expensive if they climb. Read the fixed versus variable comparison before committing.
BEST FOR: FLEXIBILITY
Green Energy
Matched entirely to wind, solar, or hydroelectric generation. Often a small premium, but it puts your usage behind the sources you want built.
BEST FOR: LOWER FOOTPRINT
Why It’s Worth Shopping
Competitive pricing
Suppliers bidding for your business discount rates and add bill credits. A single assigned utility has no reason to.
Plans sized to your home
Many providers price differently for apartments than for large households, so usage patterns matter as much as the headline rate.
Control over the source
A renewable energy plan lets you align your bill with what you care about.
Every provider must be licensed
Supplying power to households is a serious responsibility, so deregulated providers have to be certified by the state. Certification sets minimum standards for reliability, customer service, and fair pricing before a company can sell you a plan.
Your Market
Is Your Area Regulated or Deregulated?
In a regulated state your utility is also your supplier and the rate is set through your public utility commission. In a deregulated state you shop. Electricity and natural gas were deregulated separately and on different timelines, so plenty of states opened one and not the other. Use the filters to see which.
Browse by State
Electric Providers in Every State
Pick a state to see its utilities, cooperatives, and any competing suppliers, broken down by city.
- Alabama
- Alaska
- Arizona
- Arkansas
- California
- Colorado
- Connecticut
- Delaware
- Florida
- Georgia
- Hawaii
- Idaho
- Illinois
- Indiana
- Iowa
- Kansas
- Kentucky
- Louisiana
- Maine
- Maryland
- Massachusetts
- Michigan
- Minnesota
- Mississippi
- Missouri
- Montana
- Nebraska
- Nevada
- New Hampshire
- New Jersey
- New Mexico
- New York
- North Carolina
- North Dakota
- Ohio
- Oklahoma
- Oregon
- Pennsylvania
- Rhode Island
- South Carolina
- South Dakota
- Tennessee
- Texas
- Utah
- Vermont
- Virginia
- Washington
- West Virginia
- Wisconsin
- Wyoming
- Washington, D.C.
Major Utilities
The Largest Electricity Companies
The biggest names in American electricity include NextEra Energy, Southern Company, and Florida Power & Light, each serving millions of customers with a mix of conventional and renewable generation. These are among the largest utilities by service area.
Choosing
What’s the Right Electric Provider for My Home?
If you do have a choice, four things separate a good plan from an expensive one. Work through them in order.
Compare the rate structure, not just the rate
If today’s rate looks reasonable and you expect prices to hold or rise, lock a fixed plan. If you think rates will fall or you may move soon, variable keeps you free.
Hunt for the fees in the fine print
Most plans are contracts, and leaving early can cost hundreds in termination fees. Never sign for longer than you expect to stay. Watch for usage tiers too, since some plans surcharge households above an average consumption threshold.
Check where the power is generated
If sustainable living matters to you, look past the marketing at the actual generation mix behind the plan.
Read reviews for service, not price
Rates are easy to compare and billing practices are not. Repeated complaints about surprise charges or unreachable support tell you what a rate table cannot.
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Go Deeper
More on Electricity
Guides on switching, saving, smart devices, and making sense of what’s on your bill.
FAQ
Frequently Asked Questions About Electricity Providers
What is an electric utility?
What is an electricity provider?
Who do I call if there’s an outage?
What happens if I don’t choose an electricity provider?
Are there penalties for switching electricity providers?
Can I save money by switching electricity providers?
How can I lower my electricity bill?
Choose a lower-rate plan if you’re in a deregulated market. Cutting your cost per kilowatt-hour is the fastest single win.
Upgrade to energy-efficient appliances, especially the washer, dryer, water heater, refrigerator, and dishwasher.
Seal windows and doors. The U.S. Department of Energy estimates this alone can save up to 20% a month.
Unplug idle electronics. Standby draw, sometimes called phantom load, quietly adds up across a house.
Shift heavy usage off peak. If you’re on a time-of-use rate, running laundry outside peak hours costs measurably less.
About the Authors
David has been an integral part of some of the biggest utility sites on the internet, including InMyArea.com, HighSpeedInternet.com, BroadbandNow.com, and U.S. News, with more than 15 years writing about, compiling, and analyzing utility data.
Jared reviews our electricity coverage for accuracy, checking provider territories, plan structures, and deregulation rules against current state commission filings before publication.