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. PECO's average residential customer uses about 750 kWh a month, and at current default-service rates that bill runs about $177 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 11.76¢/kWh as of September 2026.

Competitive supplier rates can run significantly below the Price to Compare, though as of September 2026 the gap is modest — the best 12-month fixed offers sit a few percent under the PTC, and only short-term introductory rates approach 15% savings.

For typical monthly costs at 750 kWh usage, your total bill depends on the current PTC plus PECO's delivery charges — an $11.29 monthly customer charge plus 10.236¢/kWh, which works out to roughly $88/month for delivery.

The Price to Compare resets twice a year, on June 1 and December 1. 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 11.76¢/kWh as of September 2026, while competitive suppliers often offer rates well below that. As of September 2026, savings on the supply portion run from a few percent on a 12-month fixed rate up to about 15% on the lowest short-term offers — and some listed offers price above the PTC, so always check.

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 11.76¢/kWh if you're on PECO default, or your competitive supplier rate if you've switched.

Distribution charges cover PECO infrastructure: the poles and wires, the $11.29 monthly customer charge, and various riders. These stay the same no matter who supplies your electricity. Delivery adds roughly 11.8¢/kWh on top of supply at typical usage. PJM transmission is not part of delivery — on default service the Transmission Service Charge sits inside the Price to Compare, so switching suppliers replaces it along with generation.

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 have increased through 2025 and 2026 due to wholesale electricity market conditions affecting the entire PJM region.

What drove the increases? PJM capacity auctions have cleared at or near their price cap repeatedly — the 2028/2029 auction, held in July 2026, settled at the FERC-approved $325/MW-day cap, and would have cleared at $554.72/MW-day without it. Anticipated power plant closures tightened supply margins. Natural gas, by contrast, is no longer the driver — EIA forecasts Henry Hub averaging about $3.44/MMBtu in 2026 and $3.31/MMBtu in 2027, so the pressure is coming from capacity and delivery charges rather than fuel.

For PECO, the rate timeline included an increase to 10.40¢/kWh in June 2025, a 6% jump to 11.024¢/kWh in December 2025, and a further ~5% increase on June 1, 2026.

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 each June 1 and December 1.

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 11.76¢ Price to Compare for the best available spread against it. 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-business-day rescission window after you receive the supplier disclosure statement, and it cannot be waived.

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 the PA Department of Human Services — apply online at compass.dhs.pa.gov or through your County Assistance Office, and the Philadelphia Energy Authority at philaenergy.org.