New Jersey Price to Compare Explained: Beat Your Utility Rate 2026

The Price to Compare is the number a competitive supplier has to beat to save you money. In New Jersey it's the Basic Generation Service (BGS) rate—the per-kWh price your utility charges for the electricity itself when you take default service.

Utilities that publish a BGS Price to Compare: PSE&G, JCP&L, Atlantic City Electric, and Rockland Electric.

What it covers: the BGS Price to Compare is the supply portion a competitive supplier replaces. Your delivery charge—the cost of the poles, wires, and meter reading—stays the same no matter who supplies your power. So when a supplier quotes a rate, you compare it against your BGS rate, not your whole bill.

You need to know your Price to Compare to know whether switching saves money. ElectricRates.org compares live supplier rates against your utility's BGS rate automatically.

New Jersey's Price to Compare is different for every utility, because BGS supply is priced per territory. As of July 2026, here are the current residential Price to Compare (BGS) rates:

PSE&G (most of northern and central NJ): 19.6¢/kWh
JCP&L (Jersey Central, FirstEnergy): 15.2¢/kWh
Atlantic City Electric (southern NJ): 18.2¢/kWh
Rockland Electric (northern NJ, O&R): 18.8¢/kWh

These are the supply rates a competitive supplier has to undercut. Find a fixed supplier plan below your utility's number above and you save from the first bill—and a fixed rate also protects you when BGS resets each June. Compare live supplier rates against your Price to Compare here.

New Jersey utilities don't generate their own electricity. They buy it for default-service customers through the annual Basic Generation Service (BGS) auction, supervised by the New Jersey Board of Public Utilities (NJBPU).

How it works: every February, wholesale suppliers bid to serve New Jersey's default-service load. The winning prices set the BGS rate—the Price to Compare—for the year that follows.

Why utilities differ: PSE&G, JCP&L, Atlantic City Electric, and Rockland Electric each have their own load profile and delivery territory, so their BGS rates rarely match. A supplier can be a strong deal in one utility's territory and mediocre in another.

What it does not include: delivery charges, taxes, and societal-benefit riders. Those are set by the utility and NJBPU and don't change when you switch suppliers.

You can find your Price to Compare in three places.

Your bill: look for the Basic Generation Service or "Price to Compare" line, usually near the supply charges. New Jersey utilities are required to print it.

NJ Power Switch: the NJBPU's official shopping site, NJPowerSwitch.com, lists the current Price to Compare for each utility alongside the supplier offers available in your area.

Your utility's website: PSE&G, JCP&L, and Atlantic City Electric each publish their BGS Price to Compare in the energy-choice section.

Write the number down—it's the only figure you need to judge a supplier offer.

Compare a supplier's rate against your Price to Compare—not against your total bill—to see if you'll save.

Example: say your Atlantic City Electric Price to Compare is 18.2¢/kWh and a fixed supplier offer is 12.9¢/kWh. On 1,000 kWh a month, that gap is real money off every bill, and the fixed rate holds even after BGS resets in June.

Compare like with like: put a fixed supplier rate next to your current BGS Price to Compare. BGS changes once a year; a fixed rate doesn't.

Watch variable rates: an intro "teaser" can start below your Price to Compare and then float above it. Read the terms before you sign.

New Jersey's Price to Compare resets on a predictable schedule.

Timing: the residential BGS rate changes once a year, on June 1, following February's statewide BGS auction. That makes New Jersey more predictable than states that adjust quarterly—but it also means a single reset can move your rate noticeably in either direction.

What a reset means: if you're on default service, your BGS rate changes automatically each June. If you're on a fixed supplier contract, your rate doesn't budge until the contract ends. Locking in a fixed rate below your current Price to Compare is how you stop riding the annual BGS swing.

The Price to Compare is only the supply part of your bill—not the whole thing.

What stays the same no matter who you pick: the delivery charge (poles, wires, meter reading), plus taxes and societal-benefit riders. Switching suppliers never changes those.

So do the math on supply only: if your Price to Compare is 19.6¢ and a supplier offers 13.9¢, your savings are the difference on the supply line—not on your total per-kWh rate, which is higher once delivery is added in.

That's why a supplier "2¢ below your Price to Compare" is an honest savings claim, while "2¢ off your bill" usually isn't.

Use your Price to Compare as the baseline, then weigh a few more things before you sign.

Fixed vs variable: a fixed rate below your Price to Compare locks in savings and shields you from the next June reset. A variable rate can start lower but drift higher.

Check the supplier: confirm the supplier is licensed by the NJBPU before enrolling.

Read the terms: early-termination fees, auto-renewal clauses, and how long any intro rate lasts.

Use your real usage: compare on your actual kWh, not an estimate.

Get started: ElectricRates.org compares current supplier offers against your utility's Price to Compare, updated daily. See your savings in under two minutes.