How to switch electricity supplier or electric company: the steps, your cancel rights and what not to do

Switching is mostly paperwork that the new company does for you. Nobody visits your home, and nothing changes on your wall or meter. Here is the order that keeps you safe.

1. 1
   Find your utility and your price now.

   Your bill names your utility. In Pennsylvania, Ohio, New Jersey and Illinois the utility posts a default supply price, called the price to compare. That is the number to beat. Texas has none, so compare with what your current plan costs.

2. 2
   Find your end date and exit fee.

   If you already buy from a supplier, look in your contract or bill for the date it ends and the fee to leave early. A fee can wipe out the saving.

3. 3
   Read the offer's key terms.

   Look at the price per kWh, any monthly fee, how long it lasts, fixed or variable, the fee to leave and what happens at the end. Texas puts these on a sheet called the Electricity Facts Label. New Jersey requires a contract summary.

4. 4
   Check the seller is licensed.

   Use your state regulator's list. The planner below links to it.

5. 5
   Sign up with the new company only.

   Do it online or by phone. Have your latest bill handy for the account number.

6. 6
   Watch for the notice, then your first bill.

   In Ohio, New Jersey and Illinois your utility mails a notice with the start date and your last day to cancel. Check your first bill against the offer you signed.

1. Day 0You sign. The new company sends your request to your utility.
2. Within a few daysYour utility confirms and mails you a notice. In Illinois it must go out within 1 business day of processing a valid enrollment.
3. Cancel windowYou can still back out for free. The days are in the next table.
4. Start dateYour utility reads your meter, and the new price starts.
5. First billCheck the price, the fees and the start date against your offer.

Here is what each regulator's rule says, read on Oct. 25, 2026. The first table is the free cancel window and how long a switch takes. The second is what it costs to leave later.

A cancel window is not an exit fee. The window is a short chance to change your mind with no cost. The exit fee is what the contract can charge after it. Our guides cover the rest: Texas, Ohio contract ending and fees and Pennsylvania.

Choose your state. The planner shows your cancel window, how to cancel, how long a switch takes, the fee rule and three checks. In Ohio, New Jersey and Illinois, type the date on your utility's notice to see your last day.

This planner repeats the table above for one state. It is not legal advice. Your notice and contract come first, and the date printed on your notice wins over ours.

Most switching trouble comes from skipping a step, not from the rules.

Not every offer saves money. The price to compare is the utility's own default supply price, and a supplier has to beat it after fees. These counts come from each state's public list, so they cover the whole state, not your ZIP.

Illinois bills have extra pieces beyond the price to compare. Before you sign there, use our Illinois rates guide and ComEd rate guide to compare like with like, and test the offer first.

The plan finder on this page lists plans for your ZIP in the states named under "Can you switch where you live?" below. Prices change often, so compare today and write down the date.

Only some states let homes choose who sells them power. The U.S. Energy Information Administration last counted 13 states plus Washington, D.C. with statewide residential choice, not counting Texas, where choice is the law in the main grid area (article dated March 15, 2023, so check your own state). In general it is for customers of investor-owned utilities. Many city utilities and co-ops do not offer it.

Not sure who your utility is? Texas readers can use our utility finder. A city utility or co-op usually means no choice.

Moving. A plan is tied to the address. In Texas, a contract is limited to the location in it, and you are under no obligation to continue it somewhere else (PUCT 25.475(c)). The free cancel right in Texas covers a switch, not a move-in, so say "switch" if you are staying (PUCT 25.474(j)). Our Texas move-in guide has the steps.

Going back to your utility. In Pennsylvania, you call your utility only if you want to return to default service (PAPowerSwitch). In New Jersey, the supplier's contract summary must give an estimated time to return (NJ Power Switch). Ask any supplier how long the way back takes.

If something is wrong. If you were switched without your OK, or the price is not what you signed, contact the supplier first, then your regulator: Texas, Pennsylvania, Ohio, New Jersey and Illinois.

We read each rule from the regulator's own rule text on Oct. 25, 2026 and list the rule number beside it. Rules change, so the table is re-read twice a year, and when a regulator opens a rulemaking. The Pennsylvania PUC opened one in June 2026 (docket L-2025-3058767). It amends Chapter 56, which covers utility service, while the 3-day right sits in Chapter 54. Look up the docket on the PUC site for its status. As of October 25, 2026, we had not seen it change that right.

What we did not find: a fixed number of days for a switch in the Texas and New Jersey rules, and a United States count of choice states newer than 2023. We say so above instead of guessing. The prices and counts in the offers table are read by robots from the state lists and carry their read dates.