Both markets showed price spikes in the first year of deregulation, but then settled down into a volatile but reasonably stable environment.
Alberta's market is dominated by fossil fuel generation and as such reacts more closely to the price of natural gas.
Switching is only practical if a customer is either buying from a utility, willing to pay an early termination fee, or is at the end of a contract with a provider.
[citation needed] Certain U.S. states allow for consumer choice in electricity providers, with Texas being the most-widely watched deregulatory scheme.
"[5] Along with aforementioned Maryland and Texas, electricity deregulation is current in Connecticut, Delaware, Illinois, Maine, Massachusetts, Michigan, Montana, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New York, Ohio, Oregon, Pennsylvania, and Rhode Island.
Seven additional U.S. states began the process of electricity deregulation but have suspended efforts: Arizona, Arkansas, California, Nevada, New Mexico, Virginia, and Wyoming.