PA PUC Energy Shopping Websites Honored By Gov., Visitor Stats Reported
August 15,2017
The Pennsylvania Public Utility Commission (PUC) announced that its websites for electric and natural gas shopping and energy efficiency – www.PAGasSwitch.com and www.PAPowerSwitch.com – have been recognized by the Governor’s Office of Transformation, Innovation, Management and Efficiency (GO-TIME) for the use of technology to promote increased citizen engagement.
At a ceremony in Harrisburg, PUC Chairman Gladys M. Brown joined officials from Gov. Tom Wolf’s administration to accept the award and highlight the Commission’s effort to provide, “neutral and trusted resources for power and energy shopping information.”
“The PUC’s shopping sites attract nearly one million visitors per year, enabling residents and small businesses to shop for energy offers from competitive suppliers, receive alerts about upcoming rate changes, and review in-depth information about conservation and energy efficiency,” said PUC Chairman Gladys M. Brown. “PAPowerSwitch.com and PAGasSwitch.com have been designed to allow consumers to easily sort and filter various offers and to quickly identify suppliers that best fit their needs. Additionally, these sites have become models for shopping portals across the country and around the world.”
Chairman Brown noted that during June 2017, over 4,000 Pennsylvania natural gas customers used PAGasSwitch.com to generate more than 1,000 direct clicks to sign up for natural gas suppliers’ offers to save money and/or for innovative competitive services. This represents a 47 percent growth rate, year over year, from June 2016 to June 2017.
Also in June 2017, more than 72,000 Pennsylvania electric customers used PAPowerSwitch.com to generate nearly 39,000 direct clicks to sign up for electric suppliers’ offers to save money and/or for innovative competitive services. This represents a 28 percent growth rate year over year from June 2016 to June 2017.
Additionally, a survey conducted in conjunction with the 20th anniversary of electric choice in Pennsylvania, consumers indicated that the PUC is a trusted resource for information about energy choice decisions.
According to the survey data, consumers who visit PAPowerSwitch.com indicated the following:
• Ninety percent somewhat/strongly agree that the website provides helpful information.
• Eighty-seven percent are very/extremely satisfied.
• Seventy percent say that the website is very/extremely easy to navigate.