Switching in your state
Each state has its own cancel window and its own guides. Find your state, read how many free days you get, then open the guides written for it. Your state's hub lists every guide and free tool for your utility.
| State | Free cancel window | Your state's guides |
|---|---|---|
| Texas | 3 federal business days after you get the terms of service | Texas guides and how to switch in Texas |
| Pennsylvania | 3 business days after you get the written disclosure | Pennsylvania guides and PA Power Switch |
| Ohio | 7 calendar days from the postmark on your utility's notice | Ohio guides and contract ending and fees |
| New Jersey | 7 calendar days from the date of your utility's confirmation notice | New Jersey guides and NJ electricity suppliers |
| Illinois | 10 calendar days from the date of your utility's notice | Illinois guides and Illinois electricity suppliers |
A cancel window is a short chance to change your mind at no cost. It is not the fee to leave a contract later, and each state treats that fee differently. Our switch guide sets the exit-fee rule beside the cancel days for all five states. Another state? Your regulator's website says whether homes there can choose.
How a switch works
A switch is mostly paperwork that the new company does for you. Nobody visits your home, and nothing changes at your meter. Four moves keep it safe.
- Check your priceFind your utility on your bill, and the price you pay now. In four of the five states the utility's price to compare is the number to beat.
- Read the offerLook at the price per kWh, any monthly fee, how long it lasts, the fee to leave and what happens at the end.
- Sign with the new company onlyIt tells your utility. Do not call your old company to cancel first.
- Watch your notice, then your billYour utility confirms by mail in several states. Check the first bill against the offer you signed.
This is the short version. The six-step guide has the free planner and the rule for each state, and the seven-check guide shows how to pick a seller before you sign.
Every switching guide and free tool
Pick the job you have, and open its guide. Each guide comes with its own free tool, except the monthly report, and each card is written from the page behind it.
Choose a company
- How to choose a providerSeven checks, in order, before you sign with any electricity company.Free tool: Offer comparer, test one offer, or two side by side, with fees counted.
- The biggest electricity companiesThe 10 biggest by homes served, who you can pick, and how to judge one.Free tool: State check, see if your state lets you pick, then open its license list.
- Comparison sites: who pays themWho runs each comparison site, who pays it, and eight checks for any site.Free tool: Site checker, tick eight things on a site and see what is still missing.
Understand your plan
- Fixed rate plans, explainedWhat a locked rate protects, what it does not, and how to test one.Free tool: Offer comparer, test offers side by side, with fees and exit fees counted.
- Renewable plans: what you buyWhat 100% renewable really buys, what it costs and how to check a claim.Free tool: Green claim check, answer five questions about a plan's wording.
Before you sign
Most switching trouble comes from a skipped step, not from the rules. Run these before you agree to anything.
- The price per kWh, any monthly fee and the end date are in writing.
- You know the fee to leave early, or you know there is none.
- The seller is on your regulator's list of licensed sellers.
- You are signing up with the new company, not cancelling the old one.
- A caller or a door-knocker asks for your account number.
- The offer is only a low price per kWh, with no word on fees or the end date.
Want to test a price? The offer comparer counts the monthly fee and any exit fee for the months you will stay. Not sure a comparison site is neutral? Use the site checker first.
How we are paid
A partner pays us if you sign up through the plan finder on these pages, and you pay nothing extra. Read how we make money for the full story.
The finder may not show plans for every ZIP code. If it shows none for yours, open your state regulator's own shopping site. Our state check links to it.
A company cannot pay to change a page, a price or a number on it.
Pick your state in the table, note your last day to cancel, then compare plans for your ZIP. Sign up with the new company only.
Compare plans at my ZIPA partner runs the plan finder. If you sign up, it may pay us a fee, and that never moves a rating or a score.
Questions, answered
Can I switch electricity companies in any state?
No. Only some states let homes choose who sells them power, and even there a city utility or a co-op often does not offer it. Texas, Pennsylvania, Ohio, New Jersey and Illinois do. Your bill names your utility, and your regulator says if you can shop.
Do I need to cancel my old company before I switch?
No. The new company sends the switch to your utility. Calling your old company first can leave you on your utility's default price for a while. Our switch guide says when a call to your utility does help.
How long can I cancel for free after I sign?
From 3 to 10 days. Texas and Pennsylvania give 3 business days. Ohio and New Jersey give 7 days, and Illinois gives 10. Each state counts from a different date, so use the table above, then your own notice.
What is the price to compare?
It is your utility's own default price for the power itself. Pennsylvania, Ohio, New Jersey and Illinois utilities post one, and your bill shows it. A seller has to beat it after fees to save you money. Texas has no such price, so compare with your current plan.
Is a fixed rate always the safe choice?
Not always. A fixed rate plan locks your price per kWh, not your whole bill. Our fixed rate guide shows what it covers, the exit and renewal rules, and how to test one.
Is a comparison site neutral?
Check who runs it and how it is paid before you trust its ranking. Our comparison site guide reads ten sites' own pages and gives an eight-point check for any site.
Does a green plan mean renewable power?
A green plan matches your power with renewable certificates. That is not the same as a wind farm feeding your home. Our renewable plans guide shows what the label buys and what it costs.
What do you want to do next?
Sources and updates
Sources (7)
- Public Utility Commission of Texas (via Cornell Law School LII), 16 Tex. Admin. Code 25.474, Selection of retail electric provider: The 3-federal-business-day right to cancel. Read Oct. 25, 2026.
- Pennsylvania Public Utility Commission, 52 Pa. Code 54.5, Disclosure statement and rescission: The 3-business-day right to cancel. Read Oct. 25, 2026.
- PAPowerSwitch (Pennsylvania Public Utility Commission), How to switch: That you sign up with the new supplier directly and call your utility only to return to default service. Read Oct. 25, 2026.
- Public Utilities Commission of Ohio (via Cornell Law School LII), Ohio Adm. Code 4901:1-21-06, Customer enrollment and consent: The 7-day rescission and cancelling through the utility. Read Oct. 25, 2026.
- New Jersey Board of Public Utilities (via Cornell Law School LII), N.J.A.C. 14:4-7.6, Supplier contracts: The 7-day rescission and fee disclosure. Read Oct. 25, 2026.
- Illinois Commerce Commission (Illinois General Assembly, Joint Committee on Administrative Rules), 83 Ill. Adm. Code 412.210, Rescission of sales contract: The 10-day rescission and the utility's notice. Read Oct. 25, 2026.
- U.S. Energy Information Administration, Can customers choose their electricity supplier? (FAQ): That choice is in general for investor-owned utility customers. Read Oct. 25, 2026.
Changelog · last updated October 26, 2026 · 1 update
- October 26, 2026: Guide published.
How to cite this page: The Day Company, "Switching your electricity company: the steps, your state's rules and free tools to test an offer", updated October 26, 2026, https://theday.company/switch.
The Day Company is not a law firm and not affiliated with any regulator, utility or supplier named here. Rules were read from the regulators' own rule text on Oct. 25, 2026, and can change at any time. This is general information, not legal advice. Your notice and contract come first. Our plan finder is Power HQ, operated by Blitz Ventures Inc. (doing business as EnergyBot). It shows plans only in Texas, Pennsylvania, Ohio, New Jersey and Illinois, where it holds Pennsylvania Public Utility Commission licence A-2018-2647582, Public Utilities Commission of Ohio licence 18-1282E, New Jersey Board of Public Utilities licence EA-0519 and Illinois Commerce Commission licence 17-0994, and is a registered broker with the Public Utility Commission of Texas.