Regulators reject FirstEnergy's plan to end automatic supplier renewals. A Senate bill on the same idea hasn't moved in 608 days
The Public Utility Commission voted 3-2 against sending FirstEnergy shoppers back to default service when their supplier contracts end, and ordered a review due next June. Senate Bill 312, which would change contract-expiration rules by law, has sat in committee since February 2025.
Pennsylvania's utility regulators voted 3-2 to deny FirstEnergy Pennsylvania's request to move customers back to the utility's default electricity service when their contracts with outside suppliers expire, WCCS Radio reported. Instead, the Public Utility Commission ordered a faster review of automatic contract renewals, with its Office of Competitive Market Oversight due to report by June 1, 2027.
If you buy electricity from a competitive supplier instead of your utility, this decision affects what happens when your contract ends. For now, the rules that let a contract roll over into a new one, sometimes at a different price, stay in place.
What FirstEnergy asked for
FirstEnergy serves more than 2 million customers in Pennsylvania under the Met-Ed, Penelec, Penn Power and West Penn Power names, Spotlight PA reported. It asked the PUC to end automatic rollovers, require suppliers to confirm every three months that customers on variable-rate plans agreed to those terms, and limit a program that guarantees suppliers get paid to offers at or below the utility's default price.
The company told regulators that shopping has generally cost its residential customers money. In 2025, its shopping customers paid about $82 million more than they would have on default service, even counting those who saved, and they were nine times more likely to have their service shut off, according to Spotlight. About 17% of its residential customers used a supplier in early 2026.
Retail suppliers opposed the plan, arguing it would undercut state law and effectively end the retail market. Consumer advocates supported it. State Consumer Advocate Darryl Lawrence told Spotlight that variable-rate contracts are "probably not something you want to engage in" unless you're an energy expert. Administrative law judges had recommended approving FirstEnergy's proposal, but that recommendation wasn't binding, Spotlight PA reported.
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What the records add
Lawmakers were told this was their job. Several Republican lawmakers wrote to the PUC arguing the changes required legislative action, Spotlight PA reported. Democrats in both chambers have proposed legislation to change the rules on contract expirations.
The Senate bill hasn't had a vote. Senate Bill 312, from Sen. John Kane, a Delaware and Chester County Democrat, would amend the state's utility law on electric industry restructuring and utility duties. Its four co-sponsors are all Democrats: Sens. Timothy Kearney, Wayne Fontana, Jay Costa and Nikil Saval. It was referred to the Senate Consumer Protection and Professional Licensure Committee on Feb. 26, 2025. The bill page lists no action since: 608 days as of Tuesday.
The House has a memo, not a bill. On the House side, Spotlight linked a co-sponsorship memo, a lawmaker's notice that a bill is coming, rather than an introduced bill. Neither proposal has advanced, Spotlight reported.
The state law that lets residents choose an electricity supplier dates to 1996, according to Spotlight PA.
What happens next
If the PUC's review leads to new rules, any change would come after the June 2027 report, according to WCCS. The legislature has only a few voting days left this session: the Senate is scheduled for Nov. 17 and 18 (Senate calendar). Bills that don't pass by Nov. 30 die and must be reintroduced in January.
In the meantime, customers who shop can check when their contract ends and compare offers to their utility's "price to compare" on the PUC's PAPowerSwitch site.