CITIZEN POWER ALLIANCE

The five-year-old Voice Your Choice electricity program came to an end this year, but customers of Rochester Gas and Electric Corp. will have an ongoing opportunity in 2010 to make choices about their electricity service.

Or they can choose nothing, which would keep them in the RG&E tent.

The new sign-up opportunity is an expansion to allow selection of competing energy service companies year-round instead of during a defined period toward the end of each year.

The new approach to choice begins on Jan. 1, when RG&E and New York State Electric and Gas Corp. customers will be able to choose to receive electricity from either their utility or from a competing energy services company at any time, according to Dick Marion, RG&E spokesman.

The biggest change is that RG&E and NYSEG will no longer offer fixed-price options for electricity as of Jan. 1. Energy service companies, also known as ESCOs, will continue to do so.

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