Since electric competition took off on Jan. 1 in Peco Energy Co. territory, more than 260,000 customers have switched suppliers, according to the utility.
About 16 percent of Peco's 1.6 million customers, including most of its large industrial customers, have switched to alternative suppliers, according to Cathy Engel Menendez, spokeswoman for the Philadelphia utility.
Nearly half the power distributed through Peco's system is now supplied by alternative suppliers, she said.
Competition has taken off more quickly than anticipated. Nearly 50 suppliers serve Peco customers, including 36 that target residential customers. Some are offering discounts of 10 percent or more, saving a typical residential customer $90 a year.
