The History of Energy Deregulation in Connecticut
The Connecticut Department of Public Utility Control approved deregulation in 1998, when electricity rates in the state were through the roof. Since the year 2000, new energy deregulation laws have been in effect.
Now, Connecticut provides options for its residents as to where they can get their power supply. This paved the way for suppliers to develop new products and services that will add as an incentive for all their loyal and new customers.
Deregulation has a lot of perks; first and foremost, it offers residents a chance to afford a payment plan for their electricity. This allows residents to choose a plan that is a perfect fit for their budget and lifestyle, making it easier to budget for electric utilities in CT.
Energy deregulation in Connecticut began with legislation PA 98-28 in 1998. It required that the two state electrical providers, Connecticut Light & Power (CL&P) and United Illuminating (UI), unbundle their services and purchase power on the wholesale market, competing with newly formed retail suppliers. Each of these Utility Distribution Companies focused on either delivery to or distribution of electricity, in addition to customer billing and maintenance of their equipment.
Connecticut electricity suppliers offer a variety of services in terms of power, including residential and commercial electricity, solar energy, and even natural gas for your heating needs during the cold winter months.
Today, customers get their power supply from one of the two major electric providers in the state, depending on which part of Connecticut they live in. These companies are Eversource Energy and United Illuminating.
Quick Facts about Energy in Connecticut
- Regional Greenhouse Gas Initiative (RGGI): The RGGI is a regional agreement between ten Northeast states to reduce greenhouse gas emissions. Like the other members of RGGI, Connecticut is slowly decreasing its state’s carbon dioxide emissions. The main goal is to reduce these emissions, particularly from the electrical generator sector, by up to 10 percent by the year 2018.
- Renewable Energy Initiatives: Just like in California, Connecticut imposes a law stating that utility providers must have at least 23 percent of their products made from renewable sources. They aimed to increase this to up to 27 percent by 2020.
- Reformulated Gasoline: Another similarity between California and Connecticut is that the state also requires car owners to use reformulated gasoline blended with ethanol.
- Groton, CT, is one of the three sites that house the 1-million-barrel Northeast Home Heating Oil Reserve, holding over 300,000 barrels of heating oil to offset heating supply disruptions.
- Efficiency Standards: If you’re a business owner or a new homeowner in the state of Connecticut, you are required to abide by their Energy Efficiency Standards. New residential and commercial buildings have to fulfill the silver LEED standard, while business owners must meet the state-based appliance efficiency standard.
Connecticut Electric Utility Companies
Utility providers, or line and pole companies, are who you contact to report a downed line or power outage. In Connecticut, there are two leading utility companies; United Illuminating and Eversource.
United Illuminating Connecticut, an Avangrid Company
United Illuminating provides the power supply for residential, commercial, and industrial purposes located in the Greater New Haven and Bridgeport Areas. It was established in 1899 and is a subsidiary of Avangrid Company. Currently, it provides service to more than 340,000 customers.
Corporate Address:
The United Illuminating Company
P.O. Box 1564
New Haven, CT 06506-0901
Customer Care: 800.722.5584
Emergency phone: 800.722.5584
Eversource Energy Connecticut
New England’s largest energy delivery company, Eversource Energy, is another energy distributor in Connecticut. It currently provides safe, reliable service to 4.3 million customers in most of the state and even includes Hartford and Waterbury.
Contact Eversource, formally Connecticut Light & Power (CL&P)
Eversource
107 Selden Street
Berlin, CT 06037
Residential: 800-286-2000
Business: 888-544-4826
Map of US Energy Deregulation
Connecticut is one of 26 US States that have some form of energy deregulation whether it be electricity, natural gas or both. Use our interactive map to get more information on deregulated energy states in America.