Philadelphia Electricity Rates: PECO Service & Suppliers

Philadelphia residents have access to electricity choice through Pennsylvania's deregulated energy market, with the city served exclusively by PECO Energy.

Here's the Philadelphia electricity snapshot: the city has about 1.6 million people, making it Pennsylvania's largest city. Average monthly usage runs around 866 kWh, and the average electric bill comes to about $152 for supply and delivery combined.

You've got two options for your electricity supply. You can stick with PECO default service at their current Price to Compare rate, or you can shop for competitive suppliers through PA Power Switch for potentially lower rates.

PA Power Switch, operated by the Pennsylvania Public Utility Commission, provides a marketplace for comparing electricity offers. Understanding your options and shopping regularly can result in significant savings.

PECO Energy serves as the exclusive electric distribution utility for Philadelphia and the surrounding southeastern Pennsylvania region.

PECO's service area covers about 1.7 million customers across Philadelphia, Bucks, Chester, Delaware, and Montgomery counties. They've been serving the region for over 130 years and are owned by Exelon Corporation.

Regardless of which supplier you choose, PECO handles the distribution infrastructure, outage response and repairs, meter reading, and power delivery to your home. Those things stay constant no matter what.

What you control is your electricity supplier choice through PA Power Switch and your supply rate, whether that's PECO default or a competitive supplier.

Your PECO bill covers both distribution charges and supply charges from either PECO default service or your chosen supplier.

PECO Price to Compare for Philadelphia residential customers is currently 11.02¢/kWh, effective December 1, 2025 through May 31, 2026.

Rate breakdown: that 11.02¢/kWh represents a 6% increase from the previous period. Competitive supplier rates run as low as 7.7¢/kWh, which means potential savings over 25% on supply costs.

For typical monthly costs at 866 kWh usage, you're looking at a total bill around $152. Of that, supply at the Price to Compare runs about $95, and distribution charges add roughly $57.

The Price to Compare updates quarterly in March, June, September, and December. It's your benchmark for evaluating supplier offers.

PA Power Switch at papowerswitch.com is the official Pennsylvania marketplace for comparing electricity suppliers serving PECO customers, operated by the Pennsylvania Public Utility Commission.

Using PA Power Switch is straightforward. Enter your ZIP code, select PECO as your utility, view all licensed suppliers and current offers, then compare and choose your plan.

The site shows you current rates (both introductory and standard), contract terms and length, early termination fees, renewable energy options, and supplier ratings with complaint statistics. You can filter by rate type (fixed vs variable), contract length, and green energy percentage.

All suppliers listed are licensed by PA PUC and must meet consumer protection requirements.

Philadelphia residents can potentially save significantly by shopping for competitive electricity suppliers.

Here's the current savings opportunity: PECO Price to Compare sits at 11.02¢/kWh, while competitive rates run as low as 7.7¢/kWh. That's savings potential over 3¢/kWh, or more than 25%.

For average usage of 866 kWh per month, you're looking at monthly savings around $26 and annual savings around $312.

You'll find three main plan types available. Fixed-rate plans lock your price for the contract term and protect against increases. Variable-rate plans adjust monthly and typically have no cancellation fee. Green energy plans offer renewable power or RECs.

When enrolling, have your PECO account number ready. The switch takes 1-2 billing cycles, and there's no service interruption.

Philadelphia PECO electric bills separate charges into supply and distribution components.

Supply charges are what you can control. That's either the Price to Compare rate of 11.02¢/kWh if you're on PECO default, or your competitive supplier rate if you've switched.

Distribution charges cover PECO infrastructure: transmission costs, customer charges, and various riders. These stay the same no matter who supplies your electricity.

For average Philadelphia costs, the total rate runs about 17.58¢/kWh combining supply and delivery. The supply portion is around 11.02¢/kWh, and the delivery portion adds roughly 6.56¢/kWh.

Your bill shows total kWh consumed, daily usage averages, year-over-year comparisons, the Price to Compare for shopping reference, and your supplier name and rate if you've switched.

Key insight: only supply charges change when you switch suppliers. PECO delivery charges remain constant.

Philadelphia electricity rates increased throughout 2025 due to wholesale electricity market conditions affecting the entire PJM region.

What drove the increases? The 2024 PJM capacity auction resulted in dramatically higher capacity prices. Anticipated power plant closures tightened supply margins. And natural gas prices kept rising, increasing regional power generation costs.

For PECO, the rate timeline included an initial rate increase in June 2025, followed by an additional 6% increase in December 2025.

Here's how these increases work: PJM Interconnection conducts annual capacity auctions, wholesale costs flow through to utility default service rates, and PECO adjusts the Price to Compare quarterly.

Shopping for competitive suppliers offers a way to offset increases by locking in rates below the Price to Compare.

Philadelphia residents can reduce electricity costs through multiple strategies.

For supply cost strategies, shop PA Power Switch and compare offers against the 11.02¢ Price to Compare for 25%+ savings potential. Lock in fixed rates to protect against future increases. Review your options every 6-12 months before contract expiration, and use the rescission period - Pennsylvania gives you a 3-day cancellation window for new contracts.

PECO offers efficiency programs including rebates on efficient appliances, smart thermostat incentives, weatherization services, and budget billing to spread costs evenly.

For DIY efficiency improvements, consider LED lighting upgrades and sealing air leaks.

If you need help with costs, there's CAP (Customer Assistance Program) for income-eligible residents and LIHEAP for heating bill assistance.

PECO handles all power outages throughout Philadelphia regardless of your electricity supplier.

To report outages, you can call 1-800-841-4141, use the PECO mobile app, or go online to peco.com/outages where they have an outage map.

Common causes of Philadelphia outages include summer thunderstorms, winter ice storms, and high winds affecting the urban tree canopy.

PECO has made grid improvements including smart meters, automated switching equipment, and faster restoration times.

For emergencies involving downed power lines, call immediately and stay away from the hazard. Also consider signing up for PECO outage alerts by text, email, or phone notifications.

For PECO contacts, you can reach customer service at 1-800-494-4000, report outages at 1-800-841-4141, check the outage map at peco.com/outages, or find energy rebates at peco.com/save.

For supplier shopping, visit PA Power Switch at papowerswitch.com to compare your options.

If you need to file complaints or get assistance, the PA PUC can be reached at 1-800-692-7380 or puc.pa.gov.

For energy assistance programs, there's PECO CAP at 1-800-774-7040 for income-eligible customers, LIHEAP through local Community Action Agencies, and the Philadelphia Energy Authority at philaenergy.org.