Nearly 1/3 of states in the US are now deregulated in some capacity.

These states are offering homes and businesses the ability to choose where their energy comes from and potentially save money in the process. In a deregulated electricity market, consumers can choose to leave their electric service with their local utility or shop for energy plans from independent retail energy providers.

The most common question that consumers tend to have about deregulation is whether or not they live in a deregulated market and therefore even have the opportunity to buy their energy from one of these independent suppliers. It’s important to remember that not all states have a deregulated energy market and furthermore, not all states are entirely deregulated, meaning there may be certain areas or cities within a state that remain regulated, even if the state falls under the ?deregulated? umbrella.

If you are one of the many electricity consumers interested in seeing if you qualify to but energy in a deregulated market, take a look at our list of states below that fall under these deregulated laws (or alternatively, enter your zip to search for rates and plans). Many consumers living in these areas could be saving a great deal on their monthly energy costs by switching to an independent retail energy provider that offers a great plan with a low kWh.

Please note:  By no means is this an exclusive list of deregulated cities in America.  Also, some areas of the below cities may still be regulated.

Connecticut

Since 2000, residents in some of Connecticut?s largest communities have been given the power to choose their energy provider including:

Akron	Canton	Cincinnati
Bridgeport	Bristol	Danbury
Greenwich	Fairfield	Hamden
Hartford	New Britain	New Haven
Norwalk	Stamford	Waterbury
West Hartford

Delaware

Delaware is serviced by two utilities, Delmarva Power and the Chesapeake Utilities Corporation. Most customers under these utilities can choose their own supplier including those in:

Dover	Kent	Middletown
Milford	Newark	New Castle
Seaford	Smyrna	Wilmington

District of Columbia

The District of Columbia operates in a deregulated electricity market.

Illinois

Most of the state of Illinois is deregulated, aside from a few rural areas. This means if you live in most major areas, including the following communities, you likely have access to deregulated energy services:

Arlington Heights	Aurora	Berwyn
Bloomington	Champaign	Chicago
Decatur	Downers Grove	Evanston
Joliet	Mount Prospect	Naperville
Normal	Oak Park	Palatine
Peoria	Schaumburg	Wheaton

Maine

Many residents living in Maine can find retail energy suppliers that offer residents options on their electricity rates. Many cities fall under the state?s deregulated umbrella, including:

Auburn	Biddeford	Bangor
Lewiston	Portland	Sanford
South Portland

Maryland

Many of Maryland?s major cities and biggest counties fall under deregulation laws, including:

Aberdeen	Annapolis	Arbutus
Baltimore	Bel Air	Catonsville
Columbia	Glen Bernie	Hyattsville
Jessup	Laurel	Owings Mill
Parkville	Silver Spring	Westminster

Massachusetts

In Massachusetts, many major communities allow customers to shop for their own electricity rates:

Abington	Adamas	Ashley Falls
Barre	Bellingham	Berlin
Bolton	Boston	Douglas
Easton	Hampden	Harvard
Lawrence	Mt. Washington	New Salem
Newbury	Rockport	Stockbridge
Upton	Webster

Michigan

The state of Michigan is one of the newer states to allow customers to choose their own energy provider.  Deregulation has affected major areas like:

Ann Arbor	Detroit	Flint
Grand Rapids	Holland	Kalamazoo
Lansing	Mackinaw City	Troy
Saginaw	Saugatuck	St. Joseph

Montana

Electricity deregulation is somewhat limited in Montana, but does impact consumers in parts of the state.  This includes parts of:

Billings	Bozeman	Butte
Dillon	Great Falls	Helena
Kalispell	Livingston	Missoula
West Yellowstone	Whitefish

New Hampshire

New Hampshire?s deregulated energy market includes major metropolitan areas such as:

Concord	Dover	Hampton Beach
Manchester	Nashua	Portsmouth

New Jersey

New Jersey?s deregulated energy market covers some of the biggest communities within the Garden State, including:

Atlantic City	Hoboken	Jersey City
Newark	Princeton	Trenton

New York

New York residents were some of the first to get to take advantage of a deregulated electricity market.  If you live in New York City, or other communities such as Albany, Buffalo, Rochester or Syracuse, you can take advantage of deregulated electricity prices.

Ohio

Almost the entire state of Ohio is deregulated, meaning those living in the Buckeye State can choose to buy their electricity from a preferred supplier. The deregulated market covers major cities such as:

Akron	Canton	Cincinnati
Cleveland	Columbus	Dayton
Dublin	Kettering	Middletown
Newark	Toledo

Oregon

Oregon?s deregulated electricity laws cover most of Oregon?s cities and unincorporated communities such as:

Albany-Corvallis	Bend	Eugene
Medford	Portland	Roseburg
Salem

Pennsylvania

Pennsylvania has operated under a deregulated electricity market for more than a decade. Some of the state?s biggest communities can take advantage of deregulated electricity prices including:

Allentown	Altoona	Bethlehem
Harrisburg	Lancaster	Philadelphia
Pittsburgh	Reading	Scranton

Rhode Island

Rhode Island?s deregulated energy market has brought residents of the state low electricity prices for years. This state?s deregulated energy market stretches throughout most of the state and includes major areas such as:

Cranston	East Providence	Pawtucket
Providence	Warwick	Woonsocket

Texas

Nearly 85% of residents living in the state of Texas have the power to choose their electricity provider. Some of the main areas of the state that offer deregulation include:

Addison	Alamo	Arlington
Dallas	Dickinson	Elgin
Ennis	Galveston	Graham
Houston	Irving	Palmer
Plano	San Antonio	Taylor
Texas City	Victoria	Waco
West Columbia	Whitney	Yorktown

If you’re unsure if you fall within a deregulated area and can shop for electric rates and plans, enter your zip code above.