Deregulated Energy States: A Plain Guide for Sales Teams

Why this matters before you buy a single lead

If you sell electricity or natural gas plans, the first question isn't who to call. It's where you're allowed to sell at all.

In a regulated state, the local utility is the only option, so there's nothing for a supplier to offer. In a deregulated state, the utility still delivers the power and sends the bill, but customers can pick who supplies it. That's where energy sales teams live.

Buy leads in the wrong place and you're paying for calls and doors that can't turn into a sale. So here's a plain rundown.

States with full electric choice for homes

These are the markets most of our clients work. Residential customers can switch their electricity supplier:

• Ohio (AEP Ohio, Duke Energy Ohio, Ohio Edison, Toledo Edison and more)
• Pennsylvania (PECO, PPL, Duquesne Light, Met-Ed, Penelec and more)
• Illinois (ComEd and Ameren Illinois)
• New Jersey (PSE&G, JCP&L, Atlantic City Electric)
• New York, Maryland, Delaware and Washington, DC
• Massachusetts, Rhode Island, New Hampshire, Maine and Connecticut
• Texas, in the parts of the state where retail choice applies

States where choice is limited

Some states let customers shop, but with real limits. You can still sell here, you just need to know the rules first.

Michigan caps how much of the electric load can go to other suppliers, so most teams focus on natural gas there. California's electric choice is mostly closed to homes, so teams there usually sell solar, batteries or efficiency instead. Virginia only allows choice in narrow cases.

Don't forget natural gas

Gas choice doesn't always line up with electric choice. A state can be open for one and not the other, or open for gas in some utility areas only.

Ohio, Pennsylvania, Illinois, New York, New Jersey, Maryland and Michigan all have gas choice programs in at least part of the state. That's why every lead we have says whether the customer is electric, gas or both.

It really comes down to the utility

Even inside an open state, most suppliers can only sell in certain utility territories. You might be approved for PECO but not PPL, or ComEd but not Ameren.

So think utility first, state second. That's how we sort everything. You pick the exact utilities you're approved to sell in, and that's all you get.

A few things to check before you launch

Whatever state you pick, run through this list first:

• Which utilities your supplier contract actually covers
• Whether you're selling electric, gas or both in that territory
• Any town or city aggregation programs that already set a price for residents
• State licensing for brokers and agents
• Local door-to-door permit rules and state telemarketing rules

Where we can help

We have leads in 34 states, with 17 core markets sorted by utility. Every order has Do Not Call numbers and your own suppression list removed, and we never send you the same lead twice.

Our Coverage page lists every utility we carry by state. Or just tell us where you're approved to sell, and we'll tell you honestly what we have there.