As any follower of energy deregulation will tell you, the pace of deregulation is generally slow, and the results always vary by state.  After all, Maryland energy deregulation is not the same as that in Pennsylvania or Ohio, due to a host of complicated legislative reasons.

All that matters, in the eyes of the general public, is continuity of service and, more importantly, lower homeowner and business electricity rates, which after all, are two of the main benefits cited by deregulation proponents.

And while progress may be slow in Ohio, Maryland, and Pennsylvania, there is cause for cautious optimism out of Texas, where over a decade into deregulation, some positive signs are emerging.

For example, whereas the retail electricity market was previously monopolized by a half-dozen regulated utilities, now over 40 electricity providers vie of customers.

Perhaps more importantly, customers are “voting with their feet,” as it were: according to the Electric Reliability Council of Texas, most businesses and residential customers have switched away from the “old” utility providers and to the new ones who emerged in the wake of deregulation.