When it comes to energy, most people assume that there are only a handful of companies that you can get power from. In the past, that's been the case with regulation taking over. The regulation of energy has been one that was founded a long time ago. Going back to the 1890s when power companies were starting to spring up, regulations came into play and monopolies seemed to be the only way anything could get done.

Over time, energy deregulation started to take root and allowed consumers to gain access to lower costing solutions, and in recent times, giving more companies a shot at the marketplace that they usually couldn't dive into.

In the past, companies would deliberately stay out of certain areas due to the lack of profits. This is one reason why government involvement started, to allow equal access points for many areas. However, as the shifts in energy costs, and solutions have been going through history, changes to the laws slowly started to allow less oversight, and more opportunity for distribution of energy throughout homes.

From the 1920s forward, congress has been changing the way energy works, from establishing the Federal Power Commission, to setting up the Federal Power Act, Natural Gas Act, and many other programs and laws through the decades. In more recent times congress also passed public utility regulation acts, and more. These acts and laws started the course of energy deregulation, and have been beneficial to many people trying to save money on their gas, lighting, and more.

It was in the 1990s that energy started to gain serious opportunity from outside influences. Lifting previous restrictions, alternative energy companies started to enter the picture, and now help millions of people have an alternative to the big corporations that were once monopolizing the energy world. In more recent developments, as early as 2005, the Energy Policy Act of 2005 would shift law into effect that would help change and deregulate the energy industry as a whole.

Since the energy deregulation competition has only grown in regards to energy companies, and as of 2008, the field has been open to a much higher role than ever before. Each state however, still has their own set of laws and standards, making a level playing field hard to find in every single instance.

However, there are more smaller companies helping consumer save money and get energy than ever before. Energy deregulation continues to move forward, giving companies a fair chance at distributing energy solutions.
Learn more to how energy deregulation could impact you, start here!