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mcauliffetj t1_ixhs85e wrote

Suppliers are buying energy in advance to cover what they expect all their customers will need.

Once meters have been read and actual consumption is known a true up process known as settlements is run where the amount the supplier pushed to the grid is compared with the amount used by their customers. This is why switching suppliers can’t take effect until your next billing period since our meters are read monthly.

So switching suppliers has no impact on how energy gets to your house just who is responsible for having provided the energy to the grid. That is why our bill is separated into two high level categories:

  1. Supply
  2. Delivery

The supplier is responsible for getting sufficient energy to the grid and Eversource is responsible for getting managing the grid that gets energy to your house.

As an aside - when getting mad at Eversource we should concentrate on that delivery charge. Wallingford has cheap bills not because their supply is so much cheaper but because their delivery is.

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shihchiun t1_ixhjbc8 wrote

It’s more of a theoretical distinction. You don’t actually get specific electrons based on who your supplier is; they’re all just pumping electricity into the same grid.

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Scarecrow_Kayak t1_ixhnt14 wrote

You just have to develop a better palate for distinguishing the subtle nuances and terroir of each electron. There are clear and distinct differences depending on supplier. /s

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danhm t1_ixi63nq wrote

Eversource buys generated power and resells it to you. A few years ago Connecticut passed a law that allowed consumers to select their own power generation and pay that rate, instead of being stuck with whatever Eversource picks. The power generation company will tell Eversource that you are buying from them instead and then charge Eversource for the power -- which you see on your bill as the generation charge. It doesn't actually matter where the power comes from. Power generation companies just pump the power into the grid and then power distributors use it and pay them as needed.

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ct-yankee t1_ixiev16 wrote

From a customer experience standpoint, I have had to pick a new supplier (energizect) the suppliers name shows up on the supply side of my eversource bill with their rate, and the start eversource rate there as a comparison). Nothing else changes.

I switch things up with suppliers regularly for the least expensive. It's only a matter of a few dollar usually.

The cheapest happened to be eversource (for me anyway) since the October meter reading. I just signed up with constellation (havent heard back from them yet), in the past Ive used several suppliers.

Its pretty seamless, you just need to watch the rates and change it up now and then.

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Axionas OP t1_ixisg7i wrote

Check your junk btw I switched to constellation too and the confirmation was in junk email

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