Pennsylvania Electricity Rates: What You're Paying in 2025

A couple in the Squirrel Hill neighborhood of Pittsburgh opened their July electric bill and saw a supply charge pushing past $140 for a modest three-bedroom house. The delivery charge from Duquesne Light was fixed, predictable, regulated. But the supply charge, the part that pays for the actual electricity, didn't have to be that high. Pennsylvania deregulated its electricity market in 1996, which means residents can choose who generates their power. Most people never do, and they end up on their utility's default service rate indefinitely.

This guide breaks down what Pennsylvania electricity rates look like right now, which utilities charge the most for default supply, and how the shopping process actually works.

Every Pennsylvania electric bill has two distinct cost layers. The first is the delivery charge, covering the poles, wires, and infrastructure that physically move electricity to your home. This portion is regulated by the Pennsylvania Public Utility Commission (PA PUC) and is the same for everyone in a given utility territory regardless of who supplies their power.

The second layer is the supply charge. This covers the cost of generating or procuring the electricity itself. Under deregulation, you can buy supply from your utility at its default service rate or from a licensed competitive electric generation supplier (EGS). If you've never switched, you're on default service.

The number that makes comparison shopping possible is called the Price to Compare. It's the per-kilowatt-hour cost of your utility's default supply, published by each utility and updated periodically. Any competitive offer below that number saves you money on supply, assuming all other terms are equal.

Here's where the gap between utilities becomes concrete. As of July 2026, default supply rates across Pennsylvania's major utilities vary meaningfully:

Duquesne Light (Pittsburgh and surrounding Allegheny County): ~14.1 cents/kWh
Met-Ed (eastern PA, Berks and surrounding counties): ~13.0 cents/kWh
PPL Electric (central and eastern PA): ~13.0 cents/kWh
Penelec (northwestern PA, Erie and surrounding areas): ~11.7 cents/kWh
PECO (Philadelphia and southeastern PA): ~11.8 cents/kWh
West Penn Power (southwestern PA outside Pittsburgh): ~10.9 cents/kWh

That spread from 10.9 cents to 14.1 cents per kilowatt-hour is significant. A household using 1,000 kWh per month on Duquesne Light's default service pays roughly $30 more per month on supply alone than a West Penn Power customer on default service. Neither of them has to stay on default service.

For current rates and to see what competitive suppliers are offering in your territory, visit ElectricRates.org's Pennsylvania page.

As of July 2026, the lowest competitive supplier rate available somewhere in Pennsylvania is approximately 9.6 cents/kWh, though availability varies by utility territory and offer terms. Not every rate at that level will be available in every service area, and offers change frequently.

Competitive supplier offers come in a few common structures. A fixed-rate plan locks your supply rate for a contract term, typically 6 to 24 months, protecting you if default rates rise. A variable-rate plan fluctuates month to month, which can mean savings or surprises depending on market conditions. Some suppliers also offer green energy products, sourcing power from renewable generation.

The key questions to ask before enrolling with any supplier: What is the exact rate per kWh? Is it fixed or variable? What is the contract length? Are there cancellation fees? Does the rate include all supply-related charges or are there adders?

Pennsylvania law requires suppliers to provide clear disclosure of these terms before you enroll.

The PA PUC operates PAPowerSwitch, the state's official electricity shopping portal. Enter your zip code, select your utility, and the site returns a list of licensed suppliers and their current offers. You can filter by rate type, contract length, and renewable content.

PAPowerSwitch is a good starting point because it only shows suppliers licensed by the PA PUC, which provides a baseline level of consumer protection. The site also displays each utility's current Price to Compare so you have a direct benchmark.

For a broader view of offers and rate history, ElectricRates.org's Pennsylvania comparison tool aggregates rates and lets you track changes over time. Using both resources gives you a fuller picture before committing to a plan.

Once you choose a supplier, the switch is handled administratively. Your utility still delivers your power, reads your meter, handles outages, and sends the bill. The only thing that changes is the supply line item.

The PA PUC enforces several rules that protect customers in the competitive market. Suppliers must be licensed, must provide a disclosure statement before enrollment, and cannot switch your service without your consent. Unauthorized switching, called slamming, is prohibited and can be reported to the PA PUC.

If a supplier's contract expires or a supplier exits the market, your service automatically reverts to your utility's default service. You won't lose power.

Pennsylvania also runs assistance programs for income-qualifying households. The Customer Assistance Program (CAP), administered by individual utilities under PA PUC guidelines, caps monthly electric bills at an affordable percentage of household income for eligible customers. The federal LIHEAP (Low Income Home Energy Assistance Program) provides additional help with heating and cooling costs. Eligibility rules and benefit levels are set by the state and utilities; contact your utility or the PA PUC directly for current program details.

If you have a complaint about a supplier or your utility, the PA PUC's Bureau of Consumer Services handles disputes and can be reached through puc.pa.gov.

Switching suppliers is most clearly worthwhile when a fixed-rate offer is meaningfully below your utility's current Price to Compare and you plan to stay in your home through the contract term. The savings are straightforward and locked in.

It's worth pausing if a fixed-rate offer is only marginally below default service. Default service rates adjust periodically, and a future downward adjustment could flip the math. Variable-rate plans from suppliers can also start attractively but move against you quickly, so read the terms carefully.

Seasonality matters too. Default service rates in Pennsylvania are often adjusted in the spring and fall procurement cycles. Checking rates before those adjustment periods, and comparing against competitive offers available at the time, gives you the most relevant picture.

For households on a CAP plan, switching suppliers may affect program eligibility or bill credits. Confirm with your utility before switching.

Even the best supply rate compounds with high consumption. Pennsylvania utilities offer time-of-use options and demand-response programs in some territories that reward customers for shifting usage away from peak hours. Checking with your utility about available rate riders or programs is worthwhile, especially if you're charging an electric vehicle or running energy-intensive equipment.

Basic efficiency measures, better insulation, LED lighting, smart thermostats, and ENERGY STAR appliances, reduce the total kWh that any rate, default or competitive, is applied to. A 10 percent reduction in usage cuts your bill by 10 percent regardless of who supplies your power.

The combination of a competitive supply rate and modest consumption changes is where the most meaningful bill reductions tend to come from.

Start by finding your utility's current Price to Compare on your bill or at PAPowerSwitch. Then check what competitive suppliers are offering in your territory through PAPowerSwitch or ElectricRates.org. If a fixed-rate offer beats your Price to Compare by a meaningful margin, read the contract terms carefully, confirm there are no early termination fees you can't absorb, and enroll.

Review your supply rate once a year at minimum. Supplier contracts expire, markets shift, and your utility's default service rate changes. The comparison that made sense 18 months ago may need revisiting.

Pennsylvania's deregulated market exists specifically to give customers this choice. The Pittsburgh family who opened that $140 supply bill had options they didn't know about. Now you do.