Washington DC Energy Choice: Shop Suppliers Through Pepco
Your right to shop competitive suppliers under the District's Retail Electric Competition and Consumer Protection Act. Same delivery service from Pepco, different generation rate, no service interruption.
What Energy Choice Means in Washington DC
The District of Columbia deregulated retail electricity in 1999. Under the DC Retail Electric Competition and Consumer Protection Act, your bill splits into two parts: delivery and generation. Pepco — the District's sole electric distribution utility — handles delivery. You can shop generation. The DC Public Service Commission licenses every supplier and oversees the procurement that sets Standard Offer Service rates.
When you switch to a competitive supplier, Pepco continues to deliver electricity — same wires, same outage response, same emergency line. The supplier files the switch with Pepco; it processes on your next meter read. You can return to Standard Offer Service at any time at no cost.
Standard Offer Service (SOS)
SOS is the default electricity supply rate that Pepco charges customers who haven't chosen a competitive supplier. The residential SOS rate is set through a wholesale procurement process overseen by the DCPSC and adjusts periodically as procurement costs change. Pepco passes the rate through at no markup.
A competitive supplier rate below Pepco's current SOS rate at your real usage saves money on the supply portion of your bill. Delivery charges stay the same regardless of supplier.
Your Protections Under the DCPSC
- Every competitive supplier must hold a DCPSC license. The license carries disclosure and consumer-protection requirements.
- Suppliers must provide written contract terms disclosing the rate, term, and any cancellation fees.
- The DCPSC handles complaints and can revoke a license for repeated violations.
- Pepco's delivery service, outage response, and emergency line never change when you switch suppliers.
- You can return to Standard Offer Service at any time at no cost.