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PUCO Launches Website To Help Consumers Comparision Shop Utilities

State regulators have launched a website designed to help consumers save money when they choose a natural gas or electricity provider. Ohio Public Radio's Andy Chow reports.

The changes made to Ohio’s utilities market are all about giving consumers a choice. But the details and offers can bog down customers who want to pick electric and natural gas suppliers.

That’s why the Public Utilities Commission of Ohio has created a new interactive tool that allows consumers to shop using side-by-side comparisons.

Todd Snitchler, PUCO chairman, says the new website is all about giving Ohioans the information they need to make their own choice.

Snitchler: “An educated consumer stands the greatest opportunity to control where they spend their dollars that’s what all of us try to do—we choose our grocery story, we choose where we buy gas, we choose our mortgage provider—this is information that will allow consumers to make the decision—whether it’s natural gas or electric service to do basically the same thing and customers are then in control of where they spend those dollars.”

The PUCO says utilities are held responsible to honoring the offers found on the website adding that the companies must be diligent in updating their own information.