The number of people who have requested to switch to a new energy provider since Jan. 1, when deregulation took effect, is still small compared to the number of people in Texas eligible, but representatives of the public information program said Thursday the numbers indicate interest in deregulation opportunities is growing.Karen Springs, spokeswoman for Texas Electric Choice, the awareness program on deregulation, said Thursday that the number of people requesting to switch to a new provider was approaching 200,000: half during last year's six-month pilot program and the other half in the last 45 days."People are really beginning to pay attention," Ms. Springs said. "We're pretty optimistic that things are going to continue to go well."About 5.3 million households in Texas