United Illuminating (UI) Bill Explained: Charges & Shopping Suppliers
United Illuminating (UI) delivers electricity to the New Haven and Bridgeport areas of Connecticut but, like Eversource, doesn't have to be your generation supplier. Your bill splits into delivery charges (regulated by Connecticut's PURA, unaffected by supplier choice) and a supply charge — either UI's twice-yearly Standard Service rate or a competitive supplier's rate you choose through EnergizeCT, the state's official shopping resource.
Delivery vs. supply on a UI bill
United Illuminating owns and maintains the wires, transformers, and meters across its service territory in the New Haven and Bridgeport areas, and keeps that role regardless of who supplies the electricity. Generation is the part Connecticut's 1998 restructuring law opened to competition — UI itself exited power generation entirely as part of that transition, so even its own default supply rate is procured through the wholesale market rather than from UI-owned power plants.
Standard Service: UI's default rate
Customers who don't choose a competitive supplier are automatically on Standard Service, Connecticut's name for the regulated default supply rate. Unlike states that reset a default rate once a year, Connecticut resets Standard Service twice a year — January 1 and July 1 — through a procurement process overseen by the Public Utilities Regulatory Authority (PURA). That means UI customers on Standard Service can see their supply rate move more often than customers in some other deregulated states, which is worth factoring in when comparing a fixed-rate supplier offer against it.
Shopping suppliers through EnergizeCT
EnergizeCT is the state's official energy information platform, built in coordination with PURA and Connecticut's Office of Consumer Counsel, and it's the standard place to compare licensed competitive suppliers serving UI's territory. Enrolling with a supplier through EnergizeCT (or directly with a supplier) doesn't change how UI bills or delivers — the supplier's generation rate simply replaces Standard Service on the bill, and Connecticut law provides a three-day rescission period after enrollment in case a customer wants to reconsider. It's worth comparing a fixed-rate offer against the Standard Service rate that will be in effect at the next reset, not just the current one, since Standard Service can change again in as little as a few months.
What this means for a business
Commercial customers in UI's territory shop the same EnergizeCT-listed supplier market as residential customers, though business accounts typically fall under separate commercial rate classes, and larger accounts may see demand-based pricing components that a small residential account wouldn't. Before enrolling with a supplier, a business should compare the quoted rate against UI's current Standard Service rate for its rate class, confirm whether the offer is fixed or variable, and check for automatic renewal terms — Connecticut law requires suppliers to disclose these, but the terms themselves still vary contract to contract.
Frequently asked questions
Does United Illuminating still deliver my power if I switch suppliers?
Yes. United Illuminating owns and maintains the wires in its New Haven and Bridgeport-area territory and continues to deliver electricity and respond to outages no matter which supplier bills you for generation.
What is Standard Service on a United Illuminating bill?
Standard Service is UI's default electric supply rate for customers who haven't chosen a competitive supplier. It resets twice a year, on January 1 and July 1, through a process overseen by Connecticut's Public Utilities Regulatory Authority (PURA).
How does a business shop for an electric supplier in United Illuminating's territory?
Businesses can compare licensed competitive suppliers through EnergizeCT, the state's official energy information site backed by PURA and the Office of Consumer Counsel, and enroll directly with a supplier while UI continues to deliver and bill for the account.
See this on your own bill
Upload your United Illuminating bill and Certo reads it for you — a free bill health score, a plain-English breakdown, and whether your current supply rate is competitive.
Running a business on UI service?
Certo for Business tracks commercial accounts, flags rate hikes and unusual usage across locations, and builds a custom savings checklist — so nothing slips through on autopilot renewals.