Utility companies simply deliver natural gas and electricity to your business. They get their electricity or natural gas from an energy supplier that they partner with, and then they provide you with that energy at their cost. If you decided to choose your own energy supplier, your utility company would still deliver energy to your business, it would just be the energy from the supplier you personally chose.

It is important to note that in some states, such as Texas, you must choose a retail energy provider to supply electricity to your business or home. There is not an option to purchase energy directly from the utility company. Retail Energy Providers in a deregulated energy market are competing to supply energy to the consumers within a specific service area. This drives down the prices and makes it more enticing for consumers to shop for their energy.