AKRON, OH--(Marketwired - Apr 15, 2013) - Small and medium-sized businesses now have the opportunity to customize their own [ fixed-price electricity ] plans through FirstEnergy Solutions' new online tool.

Using the new tool, companies can review various small and medium-sized [ business-fixed price electricity ] plans by changing the term length -- 12, 24 or 36 months -- and start months to find the best plan for their needs. FirstEnergy Solutions is one of the first generation suppliers in the region to offer small and medium-sized businesses this level of flexibility.

"This is a real empowerment tool, giving small and medium-sized business greater flexibility when selecting the best electric plan for their facilities," said Trent Smith, Vice President of Sales and Marketing for FirstEnergy Solutions. "With an energy market that is at historic lows, having the option to lock in a price for several years can help companies avoid future price hikes. And, we are finding that being able to select the start month allows companies to conveniently switch to FirstEnergy Solutions once their supplier contract ends."

The online tool is designed for businesses with annual usage under 700,000 kilowatt-hours (kWh) in Ohio or under 1 million kWh in Maryland, Pennsylvania and Illinois. Companies can enroll several accounts under the same agreement. Once businesses enroll online for their medium-sized or [ small business electricity plans ], they will receive a confirmation email indicating their choice of utility, term length and start month. The tool is available at [ www.FES.com ].

About FirstEnergy Solutions
FirstEnergy Solutions, a subsidiary of FirstEnergy Corp. (NYSE: [ FE ]), is one of the nation's largest competitive electric generation suppliers, serving more than 2.5 million customers, and is a licensed supplier in Ohio, Pennsylvania, New Jersey, Maryland, Michigan and Illinois.

FirstEnergy is a diversified energy company dedicated to safety, reliability and operational excellence. Its 10 electric distribution companies form one of the nation's largest investor-owned electric systems, serving customers in Maryland, Ohio, Pennsylvania, New Jersey, New York and West Virginia. Its generation subsidiaries control more than 20,000 megawatts of capacity from a diversified mix of scrubbed coal, non-emitting nuclear, natural gas, hydro, pumped-storage hydro and other renewables. Follow FirstEnergy on Twitter @FirstEnergyCorp.

FirstEnergy Solutions is not the same company as the electric distribution company. The prices of FirstEnergy Solutions are not regulated by the Pennsylvania Public Utility Commission and a customer is not required to buy electricity or other products from FirstEnergy Solutions to receive the same quality service from the electric distribution company.