What's Actually on Your Pennsylvania Electric Bill (2026)
PECO, Duquesne Light, PPL, and the FirstEnergy companies all use the same bill anatomy. The "Price to Compare" line is the only one you can change — and it's worth knowing why.
Why is my bill so high when the rate is only 13.0¢/kWh?
Because the per-kWh rate is only one of six charges stacked on a typical Pennsylvania bill. Supply, delivery, transmission, a fixed customer charge (averaging $9.73/month across 6 Pennsylvania utilities), riders, and taxes all sit on top of each other. Roughly half of the total is the supply rate you can shop. The other half — delivery and fixed charges — stays the same whether you switch or not. Below: each line, what it costs, and which ones you can actually move.
A typical Pennsylvania bill, line by line
For a residential customer using 1,000 kWh per month — the U.S. average — here's what each line on the bill actually costs.
Sample residential bill — Pennsylvania, 1,000 kWh
Statewide averages — your actual bill varies by utility and supplier.
| Generation (1000 kWh × 8.5¢) | $85.00 |
| Distribution (1000 kWh × 5.0¢) | $50.00 |
| Transmission (1000 kWh × 1.6¢) | $16.00 |
| Customer charge (~$9.73) | $9.73 |
| Riders | $9.50 |
| State tax | $5.00 |
| Total monthly bill | $175.23 |
Statewide average customer charge across 6 Pennsylvania utilities: $9.73/mo. Average default residential energy rate: 13.0¢/kWh. Source: NREL URDB.
What every line means
Utilities use slightly different labels on their printed bills, but every Pennsylvania electric bill includes some version of each of these charges:
Generation / supply charge
Either your utility's Price to Compare (default rate) or a competing supplier's rate. Shoppable in Pennsylvania's competitive market.
Distribution charge
Per-kWh charge from PECO, Met-Ed, Duquesne Light, West Penn, Penelec, or PPL for delivering electricity.
Transmission charge
Cost of moving power across PJM's high-voltage system, allocated through your utility.
Customer charge
Fixed monthly charge — PA has the widest spread in our footprint, from $5 (West Penn) to $14.13 (PPL).
Riders (DSP, EE&C, smart meter)
Pennsylvania PUC approves riders for default service procurement, energy efficiency, smart meter rollouts, and storm response.
State tax
Pennsylvania gross receipts tax plus state sales tax pass-through. Most localities do not add a local electricity tax.
The big idea: Pennsylvania has had retail choice since 1996. You can shop generation at papowerswitch.com or through ElectricRates.org. Your utility cannot be changed — it's tied to your service address.
What you can change vs. what you can't
Every line on a Pennsylvania electric bill falls into one of two buckets. Knowing the difference is the entire point of bill literacy.
You CAN change
- Your supply / generation rate (shop a competing supplier)
- Your usage — through efficiency, behavioral change, weatherization
- When you use electricity (if you're on TOU)
- Whether you're on the right plan structure for your household
You CAN'T change
- Your utility (it's set by your address)
- The distribution and transmission charges
- The fixed monthly customer charge
- Regulatory riders, taxes, and surcharges
The shoppable portion is roughly half your bill. A 20% improvement on the shoppable half = 10% off your total bill. That's the realistic ceiling of what switching suppliers can save you — anyone advertising "save 50% on your electric bill" is either confused or selling you something.
Why your bill went up
If your Pennsylvania electric bill jumped recently, the cause is almost always one of these four. Walk through them in order:
1. Your usage went up
Cold snap, heatwave, a new appliance, a houseguest, a new EV. Look at the kWh number on this bill versus last month and the same month last year. If kWh is higher, the cost was always going to be higher — supplier switching won't fix it.
2. Your supply rate reset
Your fixed-rate contract expired and you rolled to a month-to-month rate — typically 30-50% higher. Or your utility updated its default Basic Service rate (Massachusetts and Pennsylvania utilities reset their default rate every 6-12 months). This is the most fixable cause.
3. The utility raised distribution or fixed charges
Approved by the PA PUC in a base rate case. These changes are announced months in advance and affect every customer of that utility equally. Shopping suppliers won't avoid them.
4. A new rider was added
New energy efficiency surcharge, storm response cost recovery, or transmission upgrade rider. Usually a few percent of your bill at most. Itemized on the bill.
Our Bill Grade tool reads your bill and tells you which of these four caused your increase — and which (if any) you can fix this month.
Pennsylvania utilities at a glance
Customer charge and default residential energy rate for each Pennsylvania utility. Click through to see live supplier rates available in that territory.
| Utility | Customer charge | Default rate | Tariff source |
|---|---|---|---|
| PECO Energy | $8.45/mo | 13.4¢/kWh | Tariff PDF |
| PPL Electric Utilities | $14.13/mo | 12.8¢/kWh | Tariff PDF |
| Met-Ed (FirstEnergy) | $9.16/mo | 13.1¢/kWh | Tariff PDF |
| Duquesne Light | $12.50/mo | 14.2¢/kWh | Tariff PDF |
| West Penn Power | $5.00/mo | 11.7¢/kWh | Tariff PDF |
| Penelec (FirstEnergy) | $9.16/mo | 12.9¢/kWh | Tariff PDF |
Want to know if your bill is high?
Upload your most recent Pennsylvania electric bill or type in a few numbers and we'll grade it against rates available in your area today. Free, no signup.
Frequently asked questions
What are all the charges on my Pennsylvania electric bill?
A Pennsylvania residential bill from PECO, PPL Electric, Duquesne Light, Met-Ed, Penelec, or West Penn Power separates supply from delivery. Generation pays for the electrons and is either the utility’s Price to Compare or the rate from your chosen supplier. Distribution covers the local wires the EDC owns. Transmission funds the high-voltage grid managed by PJM. A fixed customer charge pays for metering and billing. Riders fund universal service, energy efficiency Act 129 programs, and storm recovery under PA PUC orders. Pennsylvania does not levy state sales tax on residential electric service, so most bills show only the listed line items.
What is the Price to Compare and how does it relate to supply versus delivery?
The Price to Compare, or PTC, is the per-kWh generation rate the EDC charges customers who have not picked a competitive supplier. It is set quarterly through PA PUC-approved default service auctions. Supply, the PTC line, is the only portion you can shop through PAPowerSwitch.com. Distribution is monopoly: PECO, PPL, Duquesne, and the FirstEnergy companies each own the wires in their territory and the PA PUC sets the distribution charges by tariff. Switching to a competitive supplier replaces the PTC line with that supplier’s rate. The distribution charges and customer charge stay identical.
Why does my Pennsylvania electric bill jump even when usage is steady?
The Price to Compare resets four times a year on June 1, September 1, December 1, and March 1 for most Pennsylvania EDCs. A bill that crosses a reset date can carry a noticeably different per-kWh generation rate from the prior cycle. Distribution and transmission charges also reset on PA PUC schedules, often once or twice a year. PPL Electric’s residential customer charge of $14.13 per month is the highest in our footprint, so low-usage households see a larger share of their bill as fixed. Heat pumps and electric water heaters drive winter spikes even without rate changes.
How can I reduce the parts of my Pennsylvania bill I can control?
You can shop generation. PAPowerSwitch.com is the PA PUC’s official marketplace. Every certified supplier lists a fixed or variable per-kWh price next to your EDC’s current Price to Compare. Locking a fixed rate below the PTC cuts every future kWh charge. A few EDCs offer time-of-use default service or competitive supplier TOU products that pay off if you can shift loads to overnight hours. The distribution charge, transmission charge, customer charge, and Act 129 riders are set by PA PUC order and identical for every customer on the same rate class.