Welcome To Washington Gas
For 160 years Washington Gas has been distributing natural gas to customers in the District of Columbia, Maryland and Virginia. We bring natural gas to your home or business safely and reliably.
Electric Utility Restructuring
Customers are able to choose their electricity suppliers in the District of Columbia, Maryland and Virginia. Competition and choice, whether for natural gas or electricity, can bring significant benefits to all consumers. They can bring greater efficiencies and new kinds of energy services to all. Ultimately, competition can create tangible benefits to customers through potential monetary savings and new and enhanced product service offerings. Innovative new service offerings may include combinations of electricity service with other services, such as natural gas, cable television and Internet services.
District of Columbia Legislation
The District of Columbia City Council passed Bill 13-284 the "Retail Electric Competition and Consumer Protection Act of 1999". The legislation was signed by the Mayor and became law on May 9, 2000. Pursuant to the legislation, District of Columbia consumers will be able to choose their electricity supplier beginning January 1, 2002. Customer choice would be phased-in and all customers would have the opportunity to choose their electricity supplier by January 1, 2004.
Regulatory
In a separate venue, the District of Columbia Public Service Commission approved a non-unanimous settlement agreement that authorizes PEPCO to divest its generating assets, with the exception of the Buzzard Point and Benning plants located in the District of Columbia. The settlement also allows for residential customers and all commercial customers to purchase their electricity from competitive electricity suppliers beginning January 1, 2001, a year earlier than allowed by the legislation.
As a result of the settlement, residential customers received a 7% reduction in their rates, which began with a 2% reduction on January 1, 2000, an additional 1.5% in July 1, 2000, and an additional 3.5% to be effective one month after the closing on the sale of PEPCO's generation assets. Rate reductions for commercial customers totaled 6.5%, beginning with a 3.5% reduction in January 1, 2000, an additional 1.5% in July 1, 2000, and an additional 1.5% reduction one month after the closing on the sale of its generation assets.
On June 8, 2000, PEPCO announced that they had reached an agreement to sell the bulk of their electric generating assets to Southern Energy Inc., a wholly owned subsidiary of Southern Company. The agreement was reached following an extensive competitive bidding process that began in January 2000.
On June 8, 2000, PEPCO reached an agreement to sell the bulk of their electric generating assets to Southern Energy Inc., a wholly owned subsidiary of Southern Company. The agreement was reached following an extensive competitive bidding process that began in January 2000.
Included as part of the transaction is a provision for PEPCO to buy power from Southern Energy for up to four years at prices below PEPCO's current average cost of production. This will enable PEPCO to continue to provide power to customers who do not elect to switch to another electricity supplier as customer choice becomes effective.
PEPCO's agreement to sell its generation assets should not effect the implementation of retail choice in the District of Columbia.
Click here to go to the Council of the District of Columbia
Click here to go to the District of Columbia Public Service Commission
Maryland Legislation
On April 8, 1999, Governor Glendening signed electric restructuring legislation that mandates at least one-third of the state's residential customers have the opportunity to choose their electric supplier beginning July 1, 2000, and that all residential customers have that choice by July 1, 2002. All Maryland businesses will be able to select their electricity supplier January 1, 2001. In addition, the legislation requires that customers' rates must be reduced between 3% to 7.5% and that those rates be frozen for four years following the initial implementation of retail choice.
Regulatory
As of December 23, 1999, each of Maryland's investor owned electric utilities had its restructuring plan approved by the Maryland Public Service Commission. As a result of these restructuring plans, all Maryland residential and commercial customers have the opportunity to choose their electricity supplier.
On June 8, 2000, PEPCO announced that it had reached an agreement to sell the bulk of its electric generating assets to Southern Energy Inc., a wholly owned subsidiary of Southern Company. The agreement was reached following an extensive competitive bidding process that began in January 2000.
Included as part of the transaction is a provision for PEPCO to buy power from Southern Energy for up to four years at prices below PEPCO's current average cost of production. This will enable PEPCO to continue to provide power to customers who do not elect to switch to another electricity supplier as customer choice becomes effective.
Click here to go to the Maryland Public Service Commission
Click here to go to the Maryland General Assembly
Virginia Legislation
On March 25, 1999, Governor Gilmore signed legislation supporting the restructuring of the electric industry to enable retail choice. The legislation allows one-third of the state's consumers to choose their electric supplier beginning January 1, 2002. All consumers will have that choice by January 1, 2004.
In addition, customers' electricity rates are frozen beginning in the calendar year 2001 through 2007. In addition to an education program, and in preparation for retail competition, Virginia Power and American Electric Power (AEP) had developed and proposed pilot programs that would be in effect during 2000 and 2001.
Regulatory
The Virginia State Corporation Commission allowed AEP-Virginia, Allegheny Power, and Delmarva to implement a full scale retail customer choice in their service territories on January 1, 2002. Dominion Virginia Power will introduce a full scale customer choice program, as opposed to a temporary Pilot Program, in three steps over one year. Residential customers in Northern Virginia and one third of the statewide industrial load received customer choice on January 1, 2002. Residential customers in central and western Virginia as well as a second third of the statewide industrial load will receive customer choice on September 1, 2002. Hampton Roads and the remaining industrial load will receive customer choice on January 1, 2003.
Click here to go to the Virginia State Corporation Commission
Click here to go to the Virginia General Assembly