American Gas - August/September 2010 - (Page 11)

PeoPle Trends evenTs news industry enrollmenT in nATUrAl GAS CUSTomer ChoiCe hiTS reCord hiGh in 2009 directly from marketers. The states with the next-highest numbers of new residential choice customers in 2009 were New York, with 98,600, and Michigan, with 43,490, the EIA report said. The number of marketers providing services to residential customers increased or remained the same in all but two states with existing programs in 2009, the report said, and the overall marketer total was 11 percent higher—110 versus 99—than in 2008. EIA reported that although no additional states offered choice programs in 2009, participation percentages increased or remained the same in all but one of the states with active programs as regulators continued to evaluate and refine existing programs. Currently, 21 states and the District of Columbia have legislation or existing programs that let residential and other small-volume gas users purchase natural gas from someone other than their traditional utility company, a number that has not grown since 2003. www.eia.doe.gov/oil_gas/natural_gas/ restructure/state/us.html enrollmenT in residential natural gas customer choice programs hit a record high in 2009, the U.S. Energy Information Administration (EIA) reported. EIA said there were about 445,000 more participants in these programs in 2009 than in 2008, an increase of 9 percent. Overall, the agency said, nearly 15 percent, or about 5.1 million of the approximately 35 million residential customers with access to choice, were buying natural gas from marketers as of December 2009, up from the 4.7 million participating in 2008. The EIA report said Ohio had the largest number of new choice customers, about 279,000, as the second-largest natural gas utility in the state, Dominion East Ohio, began the second phase of a pilot restructuring plan. The goal, EIA noted, is for Dominion East Ohio to exit the commodity market and become a distribution-only company like Atlanta Gas Light in Georgia. Ohio overtook Georgia as the state with the largest number of choice customers, with about 58 percent of all customers participating and enrollment levels of nearly 1.7 million, the report said. But Georgia continued to have the most comprehensive choice program since all 1.5 million residential customers in Atlanta Gas Light’s service territory—more than 80 percent of the state’s residential gas customers—purchase their gas AmericAn GAs AUGUST/SepTember 2010 11 http://www.eia.doe.gov/oil_gas/natural_gas/restructure/state/us.html http://www.eia.doe.gov/oil_gas/natural_gas/restructure/state/us.html

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of American Gas - August/September 2010

American Gas - August/September 2010
Contents
President’s Message - Energy Efficiency: Consider the Source
In the Know - Natural Gas in the Wake of Climate Change Legislation
Industry News
Safety First - Alleviating the Strain
More Power to You
An Online Power Boost
Vendor News
Places to Be
Noteworthies
Marketplace
Advertisers’ Index
Jobline
Facts on Gas

American Gas - August/September 2010