About Volt Butler
Independent electricity comparison for Pennsylvania's deregulated market. No paid placements, no hidden agendas — just current rates from PUC-licensed suppliers.
Written and maintained by John Spencer · Updated May 2026
Why Volt Butler exists
Pennsylvania deregulated its electricity market in 1996, which means residential customers can choose their generation supplier separately from their utility. The opportunity is real: shoppers who switch from default utility rates to competitive suppliers typically save $100-300 per year.
The problem is that most existing comparison sites are run by brokers, lead generators, or generic affiliate publishers. Their rankings are influenced by commissions, not accuracy. Their content is often outdated, generic, or copied from Texas market guides that don't apply to Pennsylvania's market structure.
Volt Butler exists to fill that gap. We're an independent editorial publication focused on Pennsylvania electricity (with expansion to other deregulated markets planned). Our rate data comes directly from PA Power Switch, refreshed weekly. Our rankings are based on rate, not commission. Our editorial voice is calm-has-backbone — confident where the data is clear, honest where the answer is complicated.
How we're different
Three editorial principles shape every page on the site:
1. No paid placements.
Suppliers cannot pay for higher rankings, featured placements, or favorable coverage. Plans are sorted by rate. Period.
2. Honest about market reality.
Pennsylvania is not Texas. We don't pretend prepaid plans exist when they don't, don't promote teaser rates as “cheapest plans,” don't claim time-of-use options that PA doesn't widely offer. Where PA's market differs from other deregulated states, we explain why.
3. Editorial discipline over conversion math.
Our content is built to be useful first, conversion-optimized second. If an honest answer costs us a click-out, we'd rather lose the click than mislead a reader.
Who's behind Volt Butler
John Spencer founded Volt Butler after watching people in deregulated states overpay for electricity for one simple reason: the sites that were supposed to help them compare were built to sell, not to inform.
John isn’t a former utility executive or an energy trader. His background is digital marketing — 17 years of it, with a B.A. in English and a career spent understanding how people make decisions online and how often that process is engineered against them. That’s exactly what he saw in the electricity-comparison space: fake urgency, cherry-picked “cheapest” rates, fabricated reviews, and fine print designed to be missed.
Volt Butler is the counter to that. Every rate is sourced from public data — EIA, Power to Choose, state regulators — and every recommendation is built on the actual economics of a plan, not on whichever provider pays the most. When a “no-deposit” plan quietly costs about $590 a year more, the page says so. When a well-known provider isn’t the cheapest, the page says that too.
The goal is simple: give people in deregulated markets the power to choose their own provider based on the facts, not the hype. John is based in Dallas, Texas.
John is not a licensed energy broker and does not sell electricity. He operates Volt Butler as an independent publisher — earning commissions when readers switch through affiliate links to licensed competitive suppliers, but never steering rankings based on which suppliers pay more. More about John Spencer →
Editorial process
Every commercial page on Volt Butler is built from data, not opinions. Here's how the process works:
Rate data:
We pull from PA Power Switch — the official Pennsylvania Public Utility Commission shopping site — on a weekly schedule. All 700+ plans, all 7 PA utilities, all PUC-licensed suppliers.
Editorial voice:
Pages and articles are reviewed and edited by John. Factual claims are verified against canonical sources: PA Power Switch for rates, the EIA for generation and consumption data, the PA PUC for regulatory information, PJM Interconnection for wholesale market context.
No external sponsorship:
We do not accept guest posts. We do not run sponsored content. We do not link to suppliers in exchange for payment outside of standard affiliate relationships that pay the same commission regardless of how we rank them.
Update cadence:
Plan data refreshes weekly. Editorial content (blog posts, guides) gets refreshed when underlying facts change. Utility Price to Compare updates trigger quarterly refresh of related posts.
What we cover
Volt Butler covers Pennsylvania's electricity market across several content types:
- Utility pages — current Price to Compare, service area, and supplier listings for each PA utility (PECO, PPL, Duquesne Light, Met-Ed, Penelec, Penn Power, West Penn Power)
- City pages — 150+ Pennsylvania cities with local rate context, available suppliers, and switching guidance
- Plan-type comparisons — no-deposit, green energy, fixed-rate, month-to-month plans available in PA
- Audience-specific guides — content built for specific situations: renters, new movers, EV households, homeowners
- Comparison pages — utility-vs-utility, default-vs-competitive
- Blog — market analysis, geographic explainers, seasonal forecasts, utility PTC updates, audience best-lists
Future expansion to Texas, Ohio, New Jersey, and other deregulated states is planned.
Contact
For corrections, editorial questions, or partnership inquiries: hello@voltbutler.com or use our contact page.
Find PA rates in your area
Quick facts
- 700+ plans tracked across 7 PA utilities
- Data refreshed weekly from PA Power Switch
- Independent editorial — no paid placements
- 150+ Pennsylvania cities covered
Helpful articles
Recent editorial coverage
2026-06-29T00:00:00.000Z
How Bill-Credit and 'Free' Electricity Plans Really Work (and When the Headline Rate Is a Trap)
Bill-credit and 'free nights/weekends' plans can advertise a rock-bottom rate that only exists at one exact usage level. Here's the honest math on the threshold cliff and the paid-hour trade-off — and how to check the real rate at your usage.
2026-06-29T00:00:00.000Z
Does Unplugging Appliances Actually Save Money?
A little — but probably far less than you think. Unplugging your phone charger saves pennies. The real standby load is a few always-on devices, and a smart power strip beats nightly unplugging. Here's the honest, sourced math.
2026-06-28T00:00:00.000Z
Do Electricity Saving Boxes Actually Work?
No — plug-in 'electricity saving boxes' don't lower a residential electric bill, because homes are billed for kWh, not power factor. Here's the honest, accurate breakdown of why — and what actually cuts your bill.
2026-06-27T00:00:00.000Z
Average Electric Bill in Ohio: What It Is and What Drives It
The average Ohio electric bill was about $135 a month in 2024 (EIA), modestly below the national average. Ohio runs a little under average on rate, usage, and bill alike. Here's the honest breakdown.
2026-06-26T00:00:00.000Z
Average Electric Bill in Pennsylvania: What It Is and What Drives It
The average Pennsylvania electric bill was about $145 a month in 2024 (EIA), right at the national average. But Pennsylvania gets there with a higher rate and lower usage, not the other way around. Here's the honest breakdown.
2026-06-24T00:00:00.000Z
Duquesne Light Price to Compare: June 2026 Rate Update and How to Beat It
Duquesne Light's Price to Compare is 14.14¢/kWh, effective June 1, 2026. Learn what the PTC means, why rates keep climbing, and how to lock in a lower rate.
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Independent · EIA-cited · PUC-sourced