Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)
Who is Energy Plus | Deregulation | Rates | Switching to Energy Plus | Billing | Rewards | In Case of Emergency | Service Areas | Green Option
Who is Energy Plus?
Energy Plus is privately-held energy supply company based in Philadelphia, PA that offers electricity service through Energy Plus Holdings LLC and natural gas service through its affiliate Energy Plus Natural Gas LLC. Our goal is to bring innovation to the energy sector by pairing competitive energy service with reward incentives. In many states, we are the only energy supplier offering rewards programs to customers. For more information, please visit the Our Company section of our website.
Deregulation
- What is deregulation?
- What is Energy Plus' role in providing energy in deregulated states?
- Who delivers my energy?
- Deregulation has made choosing my energy supplier a lot more confusing. How do I know I can trust Energy Plus?
- What is an ESCO and a REP?
Deregulation is the process by which governments remove, reduce, or simplify restrictions with the intent of encouraging efficiency and competition in markets. Deregulation in the United States traces its roots to the oil crisis of the 1970s but it took until the late 1990s to put the idea of energy deregulation into practice. Today, about half of the states have enacted some form of energy deregulation.
Before deregulation, utilities controlled all three components of the energy industry: generation, transmission and the sale of energy. Deregulation divides those processes, with different companies having the ability to handle each aspect.
Energy Plus is an energy supplier that buys energy on the open market and sells it to our customers, bundling it with rewards to offer a new approach to a standard service. Utilities still handle the delivery to our customers’ homes, ensuring the wires, pipes and meters are properly working. For this reason, energy charges are separated into supply and delivery portions – but our customers continue to receive consolidated bills that reflect charges from both their utility company and Energy Plus.
Delivery will continue to be provided by your local utility company, which has the responsibility to ensure the wires, pipes and meters are working properly. Switching to Energy Plus is seamless – you will not experience any interruption in service.
Deregulation doesn’t mean lack of oversight. States that have paved the way for innovation in the energy market still maintain oversight of suppliers, who are controlled through a licensing process. Energy Plus is licensed in all of the states where we operate. For state-specific information and our license numbers, please visit our Service Areas page.
Both are terms used to refer to an energy supplier such as Energy Plus. ESCO stands for Energy Services Company and is a term used often in New York. REP is short for Retail Electric Provider and is term used in Texas.
Rates
- What is a variable-rate plan?
- How much will my supply service cost?
Energy Plus offers variable supply rate plan products. With this type of energy supply service, the supply rate you pay may change each month. The supply rate may be different, including higher, than the supply rate charged by your local utility company. Because Energy Plus's variable supply rate plans require no long-term commitment, you can evaluate your plan each month to determine if it's working for you without being locked into a long-term contract.
In a variable-rate model, your supply rate is based on a variety of factors including our costs to purchase energy, applicable taxes, fees, charges, costs, expenses and margins and can change each month. As with many variable supply rate products, the supply rate may be different, including higher, than the supply rate charged by your local utility company. Because you can cancel at any time without a cancellation fee, you can evaluate your plan each month to determine whether it's working for you.
Switching to Energy Plus
- How do I switch?
- What information will I need to enroll?
- Do I have to contact my utility company or current supplier before switching to Energy Plus?
- How long does it take to enroll over the phone?
- Do I have to provide my social security number to switch to Energy Plus?
- Is there a cost to enroll?
- Is there a long-term commitment required?
- What happens once I switch to Energy Plus?
- How long does it take for my Energy Plus service to start?
- How do I cancel?
Switching is simple and can be done over the phone or online. Because we offer service in different states, please visit our Service Areas page and select your state to find the correct phone number to ensure your call is properly routed and answered as quickly as possible.
You will need a copy of your electricity and/or natural gas bill and the membership number from the rewards program of your choice. We handle the rest so that you will not experience any interruption in service. Your local utility company will continue to provide all transmission services, including delivering the energy to your home, reading your meter and handling any service emergencies.
No. We take care of contacting your current provider as part of the enrollment process.
It takes approximately five to ten minutes to enroll over the phone.
If you reside in Texas, you may be required to provide your Social Security Number. It is not currently required in other states.
No. Energy Plus does not charge start-up fees of any kind and does not require any long-term contract/commitment before you start service. In some cases, your local utility company may charge a nominal fee to switch.
No. Unlike some fixed-rate programs that require a contract, you're in control with our month-to-month plan that lets you cancel at any time without a termination penalty.
As a new customer, you will receive a welcome letter or email from Energy Plus that includes our terms and conditions.
In most states, your new Energy Plus service will take from one to two billing cycles to begin. In Texas, service starts in a week or less. This is because Energy Plus bills customers directly in Texas and can interrupt a billing cycle to start service. For more information, please visit our Service Areas map and select your state.
You may cancel service at any time by calling our customer service team. To appropriately route your call, please visit our Contact Us page to find the correct phone number for your state.
Billing
- How will I be billed?
- How can I pay my bill?
- How can I enroll in budget billing?
In all states except Texas, Energy Plus customers will continue to receive a consolidated bill from their
local utility company. In Texas, your bill will come directly from Energy Plus. In all cases,
your bill will contain separate charges for the energy you used (the supply) and for getting
that energy to your house (the delivery). The supply portion reflects charges from Energy Plus;
the delivery portion reflects charges from your utility company.
Billing varies according to your state and utility region. For more information about billing where
you live, visit our Service Areas map and select your state.
Because Energy Plus supply service is billed through your utility company (except in Texas), the methods of payment vary. For more information about billing where you live, visit our Service Areas map and select your state.
Please refer to our Service Areas page to see if budget billing is available in your area. This page will direct you to the correct phone number to call to enroll in budget billing.
Rewards
- Where will I see my rewards?
- How long will it take to get my rewards?
- How do I know how many rewards I've earned?
- What if I don't receive my rewards?
- I have a question about my rewards. Who do I call?
- What if I want to switch my rewards plan?
When enrolling with Energy Plus, you may select your favorite rewards program. You will provide your rewards membership number and we will ensure your points/miles will be automatically deposited into your rewards account. They will not appear on your electric or natural gas bill. If you select our Cash Back program, you will receive your rebate checks from Energy Plus in the mail.
You will start earning rewards the same day your supply service starts with Energy Plus. Your rewards accrue monthly after each billing cycle and will appear in your rewards account two to three weeks after your billing cycle closes. Please note that rewards will not appear on your electric or natural gas bill.
Enrollment bonuses vary and are awarded according to the rewards program you choose. Please see offer details in the rewards section of our website for more information.
You may check your rewards account to see how many points you have earned from Energy Plus. You may also Contact Us to check on rewards that haven’t yet posted to your account or for Cash Back you may have accumulated.
Please call us as our customer service team is committed to offering you expert help. To ensure you receive prompt service, please refer to our Contact Us page to find the correct phone number to call.
Questions about how rewards are redeemed should be directed to your rewards program.
You may change plans at any time. However, you will receive just one enrollment bonus. Please refer to our Contact Us page to find the correct phone number to call for assistance in switching your rewards plan.
In Case of Emergency
- What happens if there is a problem with my service?
Please call your utility company. Your utility company is responsible for ensuring electricity and/or natural gas service is delivered to your home or business. Please refer to our Utility Contacts page.
Service Areas
- Where does Energy Plus offer service?
- Does Energy Plus plan to offer service in additional states?
- Can I be notified if Energy Plus becomes available in my area?
We currently are licensed to offer electricity service in nine states: Connecticut, Illinois, Maryland, Massachusetts, New Jersey, New York, Ohio, Pennsylvania and Texas. We also currently offer natural gas service in Maryland, New Jersey, New York and Ohio. To find out if your utility region is included in our service area, please visit our Service Areas map and select your state.
Yes. We keep a close watch on energy markets across the country with an eye toward expansion. We began supplying electricity to customers in one state, New York, in 2007 and have since expanded to serve hundreds of thousands of customers across nine states.
Yes. Please Contact Us and we will add your information to our notification list.
Green Option
- How can I "go green" with Energy Plus?
- How does the Green Option work?
- What is a REC?
- How do I know I can trust that my energy credits are being used properly?
- Am I signing up to get green electricity sent to my home?
- Are energy credits a substitute for conservation?
Energy Plus offers customers a way to support the environment through our Green Option, a program that directly ties consumption with the creation of 100% wind power, one of the cleanest forms of electricity available. For about a penny more per kilowatt hour, Green Option customers reduce the nation’s dependence on conventional electricity generated by fossil fuels – while earning their choice of rewards.
Every kilowatt of electricity our Green Option customers use counts toward the purchase of a Renewable Energy Certificate (REC) - the “currency” of renewable power in the United States. One REC is equal to one megawatt hour of electricity.
Once green power such as wind power is fed into the electric grid, it’s not possible to separate it from other sources of electricity. So, a credit (REC) is created as a way to account for – and encourage – green energy’s contribution to the grid. RECs are sold separately and only one certificate may be issued for each unit of renewable electricity. The RECs purchased by Energy Plus support 100% wind-generated power and are certified by the leading organization that authenticates these energy credits.
The Renewable Energy Certificates (RECs) that Energy Plus buys on your behalf are certified by the leading nonprofit organization that verifies energy credits, Green-e. Green-e is a consumer protection program that provides oversight by verifying energy credit markets, ascertaining the accuracy of consumer disclosures and making sure credits aren’t double-counted. The Green-e seal of approval is a safeguard in the voluntary markets of renewable energy and greenhouse reduction. Green-e certification requires disclosures about the type and source of each certificate.
No. You will continue to receive electricity the same way. Signing up for the Green Option doesn’t directly affect the electricity supplied to your house. Instead, it supports wind farms that feed wind-generated power onto the electric grid in the region where the power is generated. That power in turn offsets the amount of “dirty” or fossil-fuel generated electricity on the grid, reducing the overall dependence.
No. The best way to reduce energy consumption is to use less energy. Energy credits are just one tool that encourages the creation of smarter, greener power.
