Switching electricity in New York — Con Edison, National Grid, ESCOs

New York utility territories

Con Edison: NYC and Westchester County. About 3.5 million electric customers. Highest residential rates in the state.

National Grid: Buffalo, Syracuse, Albany. About 1.7 million customers. NYSEG: much of upstate. About 900,000 customers.

RG&E: Rochester area, ~400,000 customers. Central Hudson: Hudson Valley, ~300,000. Orange & Rockland: Rockland County, ~240,000.

ESCO supplier rules — post-2018 reforms

After concerns about ESCO predatory pricing in the 2010s, NY PSC tightened rules substantially in 2018. Residential variable-rate ESCO products are now heavily restricted; most remaining residential ESCO products are fixed-rate.

Mandatory consumer disclosures: every ESCO contract must include a "Disclosure Statement" detailing rate type, term, fees, cooling-off rights, and renewal terms.

Guaranteed savings or "value-add" requirement: NY PSC rules require ESCOs to provide one of: guaranteed savings vs utility default, 100% renewable, or other consumer-relevant value-add. Plain commodity ESCO products are restricted.

How to switch in New York

Step 1: visit dps.ny.gov/how-shop-utility-services. The NY DPS portal lists all licensed ESCOs with their current rates, terms, and disclosure statements.

Step 2: review offers. Compare against your utility default service rate. Check the disclosure statement for term length, early-termination fees, and the value-add (savings guarantee, 100-percent renewable, fixed-rate stability, or other consumer benefit) that NY PSC reforms require.

Step 3: enroll directly with the ESCO. EDI 814 handshake within 24 hours. Switch effective at next utility meter read (30 to 45 days). Step 4: the 3-business-day cooling-off window applies. The how-to-switch-energy-supplier guide walks the EDI mechanic.

New York utility territories — six investor-owned utilities

Con Edison: New York City and Westchester County. About 3.5 million customers. Default service rate currently runs around 11 to 14 cents per kWh, with summer peak periods at the higher end.

National Grid: Buffalo, Syracuse, Albany, and most of upstate New York. About 1.7 million customers. Slightly lower default service rates than Con Edison because of different transmission allocations.

NYSEG (New York State Electric & Gas) and RG&E (Rochester Gas & Electric): central and western New York. About 900,000 + 380,000 customers respectively. Same parent company (Avangrid). Default rates similar to National Grid.

Central Hudson and Orange & Rockland: Hudson Valley and lower Orange County. Smaller territories combined under 600,000 customers.

The 2018 PSC value-add rules and what they mean for shopping

After widespread complaints about variable-rate ESCO products that cost residential customers more than utility default service, the New York Public Service Commission imposed reforms in 2018-2019 requiring every residential ESCO product to provide one of: a guaranteed savings vs utility default rate, a 100-percent renewable supply, a fixed-rate stability product clearly disclosed, or another consumer-relevant value-add.

In practice this means New York residential ESCO offerings tend to be more limited than in less-regulated states like Texas or Pennsylvania. The trade-off is that the offerings that do exist are screened for genuine consumer value. Plain commodity variable-rate products that simply track wholesale prices are no longer allowed for residential accounts.

For households shopping in New York, focus on fixed-rate guaranteed-savings products (these explicitly promise to beat utility default by a stated amount) and 100-percent renewable products from Green-e-certified suppliers. Always verify the value-add on the disclosure statement before signing.

100% renewable in New York — REC sources and verification

New York has an active 100-percent-renewable supply market driven by the state Climate Leadership and Community Protection Act (CLCPA), which targets 70 percent renewable electricity by 2030 and 100 percent zero-emission by 2040. Many ESCOs offer 100-percent renewable products at small premiums of 0.3 to 1.0 cent per kWh above standard supply.

Verify the REC source. Green-e Energy certification is the gold standard. NY PSC also requires disclosure of the renewable energy mix (solar percentage, wind percentage, hydro percentage) for any 100-percent-renewable product. National-pool RECs are accepted but New England or Mid-Atlantic regional RECs deliver more direct grid benefit.

New York also operates a community solar program where households can subscribe to a share of an off-site solar array and receive bill credits. This is often a better economic deal for renters and condo owners than 100-percent renewable supply contracts. The community-solar-vs-rooftop-solar guide breaks down the comparison.