Your Rights

KNOW YOUR RIGHTS, And Protect Yourself

Just like the rights you have as a consumer of other products and services (e.g., cars, phone service providers, health insurance), you have certain rights as an energy consumer, too. These rights are in place to protect you.

Although consumer rights vary slightly from state to state, there are several general protections that exist everywhere:

You cannot be switched from one supplier to another without your explicit consent. A violation of this right is called “slamming”, for which there are steep penalties.
In the event of an emergency such as a gas leak or service disruption, your local utility is required to attend to the issue, even if you purchase your energy through a different supplier.
The price you are paying for each unit of energy you use must be clearly stated on your bill, as must any additional fees you are being charged or may be charged, including late payment fees, early termination fees, interest charged on fees, etc.
You cannot be denied service because of your race, color, national origin, age, gender, religion, source of income, receipt of public benefits, family status, sexual orientation or geographic location within your service territory.
You must be notified in advance if your energy supplier intends to terminate service.
You have the right to have your personal or business records kept confidential by the supplier and by your utility unless you give written or electronic consent to have them disclosed.

For more detailed information on the consumer rights laws in place in your particular state or utility territory, please click on the link directly underneath your state on the list below.

NOTE: If your territory or utility type (gas or electric) is not listed, it may mean that your state does not currently have energy choice, or that information on natural gas and/or electricity competition in that market is limited. See our “Restructuring by State” page for more information.

Connecticut
Electric

Delaware
Electric

District of Columbia
Electric & Natural Gas

Georgia
Electric & Natural Gas

Illinois
Electric
Natural Gas

Indiana
Natural Gas

Kentucky
Natural Gas

Maine
Electric & Natural Gas

Maryland
Electric & Natural Gas

Massachusetts
Electric

Michigan
Electric
Natural Gas

New Hampshire
Electric & Natural Gas