At present, customers are forced to buy electricity from one of the four power companies that serve their region.

Every time you flip on a light or an appliance, you're buying electricity.

The second phase would allow customers to buy electricity from the power supplier of their choice by September 2000.

This may cause a problem in which it is cheaper to buy electricity than to burn fuel.

Never mind eh, we can always buy our (nuclear generated) electricity from the French.

In the Netherlands, household consumers can choose to buy renewable electricity.

Individuals then surrender these credits when buying fuel or electricity.

"They're like the electric company, but we're why people buy electricity," he said.

Eventually, according to proponents, technology will allow even residential customers to buy electricity at different prices during the course of the day.

Power companies buy and sell electricity over electronic trading systems.