Pennsylvania Price to Compare Explained: Beat Your Utility Rate 2026

The Price to Compare (PTC) is the number a competitive supplier has to beat to save you money. It's the per-kWh rate your utility charges for the electricity itself when you take default service—what Pennsylvania calls "default service" or the "Price to Compare" right on your bill.

Utilities that publish a PTC: PECO, PPL Electric, Duquesne Light, Met-Ed, West Penn Power, Penelec, Penn Power, and UGI all list one.

What it covers: In Pennsylvania the Price to Compare covers the generation and transmission charges a supplier replaces. Your distribution charge—the cost of the poles, wires, and meter reading—stays the same no matter who supplies your power. So when a supplier quotes a rate, you're comparing it against your PTC, not your whole bill.

You need to know your PTC to know whether switching saves money. ElectricRates.org compares live supplier rates against your utility's PTC automatically.

Pennsylvania's Price to Compare is different for every utility, because each one buys its default-service power separately. As of August 2026, here are the current residential Price to Compare rates:

PECO (Philadelphia area): 11.8¢/kWh
PPL Electric (Allentown, Harrisburg, Scranton): 13.1¢/kWh
Duquesne Light (Pittsburgh area): 14.1¢/kWh
Met-Ed (Reading, York): 14.0¢/kWh
West Penn Power (Greensburg, western PA): 12.1¢/kWh
Penelec (Erie, northern PA): 13.1¢/kWh

These are the generation rates a supplier has to undercut. If you find a fixed supplier plan below your utility's number above, you save from the first bill—and a fixed rate also protects you the next time default service resets higher. Compare live supplier rates against your PTC here.

Pennsylvania utilities don't generate their own electricity. They buy it through default-service procurement—competitive wholesale auctions approved by the Pennsylvania Public Utility Commission (PA PUC).

How it works: Each utility runs PUC-approved solicitations to buy the power its default-service customers will use. The winning wholesale prices roll up into the Price to Compare, plus small adjustments for line losses and administration.

Why utilities differ: PECO, PPL, and Duquesne each buy at different times, in different market conditions, for different customer mixes—so their PTCs rarely match. That's also why a supplier can be a great deal in one territory and mediocre in another.

What it does not include: distribution charges, taxes, and riders. Those are set by the utility and the PUC and don't change when you switch suppliers.

You can find your Price to Compare in three places.

Your bill: Look for a line labeled "Price to Compare" or "default service rate," usually near the supply charges. Utilities are required to print it.

PAPowerSwitch: The PA PUC's official shopping site, PAPowerSwitch.com, lists the current PTC for every utility and the supplier offers available in your area.

Your utility's website: PECO, PPL Electric, and Duquesne Light each publish their Price to Compare in the electricity-choice section.

Whichever source you use, write the number down—it's the only figure you need to judge a supplier offer.

Compare a supplier's rate against your Price to Compare—not against your total bill—to see if you'll save.

Example: Say your Duquesne Light PTC is 14.1¢/kWh and a fixed supplier offer is 9.5¢/kWh. On 1,000 kWh a month, that gap is real money in your pocket every bill, and the fixed rate holds even if default service resets higher.

Compare like with like: put a fixed supplier rate next to your current PTC. Your PTC moves at each procurement; a fixed rate doesn't.

Watch variable rates: an intro "teaser" can start below your PTC and then float above it. Read the terms before you sign.

Pennsylvania's default-service rates reset periodically through PUC-approved procurement—so your Price to Compare is a moving target.

Timing: depending on the utility, the PTC adjusts quarterly (around March, June, September, and December) or twice a year (June and December). Check your utility for its exact schedule—PECO and Duquesne tend to move more often than the FirstEnergy companies.

What a reset means: if you're on default service, your rate changes automatically—sometimes sharply, when wholesale prices spike. If you're on a fixed supplier contract, your rate doesn't budge until the contract ends. That's the whole point of locking one in: you stop riding the default-service roller coaster.

The Price to Compare is only the supply part of your bill—not the whole thing.

What stays the same no matter who you pick: the distribution charge (poles, wires, meter reading), plus taxes and riders. Switching suppliers never changes those.

So do the math on supply only: if your PTC is 11.8¢ and a supplier offers 9.5¢, your savings are the difference on the supply line—not on your total per-kWh rate, which is higher once distribution is added in.

That's why a supplier "1.5¢ below your Price to Compare" is an honest savings claim, while "1.5¢ off your bill" usually isn't.

Use your Price to Compare as the baseline, then weigh a few more things before you sign.

Fixed vs variable: a fixed rate below your PTC locks in savings and shields you from the next reset. A variable rate can start lower but drift higher.

Check the supplier: confirm the supplier is licensed by the PA PUC before enrolling.

Read the terms: early-termination fees, auto-renewal clauses, and how long any intro rate lasts.

Use your real usage: compare on your actual kWh, not an estimate.

Get started: ElectricRates.org compares current supplier offers against your utility's Price to Compare, updated daily. See your savings in under two minutes.