Pennsylvania Electricity Rates 2026: PPL, PECO, Duquesne & More

By SolarFY Editor · Last reviewed July 2026

Pennsylvania electricity rates are moderate, not sky-high, and that is the honest starting point for any solar decision in 2026. The state sits above the national average but below the expensive Northeast, and the number you actually pay depends on which utility serves your address, PPL, PECO, Duquesne Light, Met-Ed, Penelec, or West Penn Power, plus a distinction most rate pages skip: the “Price to Compare” you see quoted is only the supply half of your bill, not the all-in rate. This page breaks down what Pennsylvania homeowners really pay per kilowatt-hour in 2026, why the rate is what it is, and how solar with Pennsylvania net metering turns a moderate but steadily climbing rate into savings you can lock in.

Pennsylvania homeowners pay about 20.9 cents per kWh all-in in 2026 (EIA Electric Power Monthly, Table 5.6.A, as of March 2026), above the U.S. average but well under the high-cost Northeast, and the supply-only “Price to Compare” your utility quotes sits below that all-in number.

Updated for 2026. Every rate and figure below is dated to its source and was last reviewed in July 2026. Utility default-service supply rates reset on their own schedules, so confirm the current “Price to Compare” on your own bill.

What Pennsylvania homeowners actually pay per kWh in 2026

Pennsylvania homeowners pay about 20.9 cents per kWh all-in in 2026, a moderate rate for the region (EIA, as of March 2026). Here is how that breaks down.

• The all-in average is about 20.9 cents per kWh. Pennsylvania residential electricity averaged about 20.2 cents per kWh in January 2026 and near 20.9 cents by March 2026 (EIA Electric Power Monthly, Table 5.6.A), roughly 19% above the national average of about 17.5 cents, which works out to about $180 a month for a typical Pennsylvania home.
• Your utility is PPL, PECO, Duquesne Light, Met-Ed, Penelec, or West Penn Power. Each investor-owned utility sets its own regulated default-service “Price to Compare” supply rate on its own reset schedule, and your delivery utility is fixed by where you live (Pennsylvania Public Utility Commission, as of 2026).
• The “Price to Compare” is supply only, not your full rate. Pennsylvania is a deregulated market, so the Price to Compare covers generation only. Delivery charges, the monthly customer charge, and riders push your all-in rate above it. The single figure that reflects your true cost is your own bill: divide a month’s total dollars by the kWh used.
• Pennsylvania rates are moderate, but they keep climbing. Statewide residential prices have trended up year over year with regional wholesale and capacity costs from PJM, the grid operator, so the pressure is on the rate to rise, not fall (EIA, as of 2026). That steady climb, not a shockingly high starting rate, is the real reason to lock in a portion of your usage.
• Solar offsets the all-in rate, and Pennsylvania pays full retail for it. Pennsylvania’s statewide net metering credits rooftop solar at the full retail rate for the power you send back, with any year-end surplus trued up at the lower price-to-compare generation rate (Pennsylvania PUC net metering, as of 2026), so every kWh your roof makes cancels one you would have bought at about 20.9 cents.
• The 30% federal homeowner credit (Section 25D) ended after December 31, 2025 (IRS, as of January 1, 2026), so a Pennsylvania homeowner who buys solar in 2026 cannot claim it, though state net metering and the SREC market continue.

Key numbers, dated and sourced

• Pennsylvania residential all-in rate: about 20.9 cents per kWh, as of March 2026 (about 20.2 cents in January 2026) (EIA Electric Power Monthly, Table 5.6.A).
• U.S. average residential rate: about 17.5 cents per kWh, January 2026 (EIA), so Pennsylvania sits roughly 19% above the national average.
• A 6 kW system in Philadelphia produces about 8,028 kWh a year, as of 2026 (NREL PVWatts, 19104); the same system in Pittsburgh makes about 7,223 kWh (15213).
• According to MySolarFY’s analysis (as of July 2026), a typical Pennsylvania home offsets about $1,680 of electricity a year with full net metering (EIA rate times NREL PVWatts production).

What is the price per kWh in Pennsylvania, and why so much of it is “delivery”

Pennsylvania’s all-in residential rate is about 20.9 cents per kWh in 2026, above the U.S. average but well below the pricier Northeast. The EIA puts the statewide residential average near 20.9 cents per kWh as of March 2026 (EIA), which lands a typical home near $180 a month. That is roughly 19% above the national average of about 17.5 cents, yet a good deal below New Jersey’s 23.5 cents and far below New England, where Massachusetts and Connecticut top 28 cents. Pennsylvania rates are not the region’s worst, but they are the number solar offsets, because solar offsets the whole delivered rate, not just one piece of it.

Your bill has two halves, and only one of them is the “Price to Compare.” In Pennsylvania’s deregulated market, every electric bill splits into supply (the cost of generating the power) and delivery (moving it over the utility’s wires, plus fixed charges and riders). The regulated default supply rate is what the state calls the “Price to Compare,” because it is the benchmark you would measure a competitive supplier against (Pennsylvania PUC, as of 2026). Here is the catch: when a rate page tells you Pennsylvania power is “a dime and a half,” that is usually the supply-only Price to Compare. Your all-in rate, supply plus delivery, is the roughly 20.9-cent figure the EIA reports. Solar is credited against that all-in rate under net metering, which is exactly why the gap matters.

Pennsylvania electricity rates by utility: PPL, PECO, Duquesne Light and more

Six investor-owned utilities serve almost all Pennsylvania homeowners, and each sets its own default supply rate. PPL Electric Utilities covers central and eastern Pennsylvania, including Allentown, Harrisburg, Lancaster, and Scranton. PECO, an Exelon company, serves the Philadelphia region. Duquesne Light serves the Pittsburgh area. Met-Ed, Penelec, and West Penn Power are FirstEnergy companies covering wide bands of central, northwestern, and southwestern Pennsylvania. Your delivery utility is fixed by where you live, and each sets its own Price to Compare on its own reset schedule. Each of those utility guides covers its own net-metering and interconnection details in full.

Utility	Service area	Residential supply “Price to Compare”	What to confirm
PPL Electric Utilities	Central and eastern PA (Allentown, Harrisburg, Lancaster, Scranton)	Set by PPL’s default-service auction; resets on PPL’s schedule	Check PPL’s current Price to Compare on your bill or account before comparing suppliers
PECO	Philadelphia region	Set by PECO’s default-service procurement; resets on PECO’s schedule	Confirm PECO’s current residential Price to Compare, then compare against any supplier offer
Duquesne Light	Pittsburgh area	Set by Duquesne Light’s default-service procurement	Confirm the current Price to Compare on your Duquesne Light bill
Met-Ed, Penelec, West Penn Power	Central, northwestern, and southwestern PA (FirstEnergy companies)	Each FirstEnergy utility sets its own default-service Price to Compare	Look up your specific FirstEnergy utility’s current Price to Compare, since the three differ

Note: The Price to Compare is a supply-only number, and it resets periodically, so we do not quote a fixed per-utility cents figure that would be stale within months. Two homes in different utility territories can see similar all-in bills even when their Price to Compare rates differ, because delivery charges and monthly customer charges vary by utility. The one figure that reflects your true cost per kWh is your own bill: divide a month’s total dollars by the kWh used. That all-in cents-per-kWh is what solar offsets. For the exact supply rate on your account, check your utility’s Price to Compare page or use the state’s PA Power Switch shopping tool.

Why are Pennsylvania electricity rates what they are, and are they going up?

Pennsylvania rates are moderate because the state generates a lot of its own power, but they have been climbing with regional market costs. Pennsylvania is one of the largest electricity producers in the country, which helps keep its rates below the import-dependent Northeast. But like every state in the PJM grid, Pennsylvania default-supply prices track the regional wholesale and capacity market, and PJM’s capacity auctions have cleared sharply higher in recent cycles, putting upward pressure on the Price to Compare (EIA, as of 2026). The result is a rate that is reasonable today but drifting up year over year.

The takeaway for a homeowner is about direction, not shock value. Pennsylvania does not have a headline-grabbing rate the way New Jersey or New England does, so the case for solar here is not “escape a crushing bill.” It is “lock in a moderate rate before it climbs further.” Because the increases are tied to the wholesale and capacity market rather than a one-time utility decision, they are unlikely to reverse on their own, which is what makes fixing a portion of your usage with solar attractive. For the full state picture, see our Pennsylvania solar guide and the numbers behind it in our Pennsylvania solar data and statistics for 2026.

Who is the cheapest electricity supplier in Pennsylvania?

Because Pennsylvania is deregulated, you can shop the supply half of your bill, but “cheapest” is a moving target and the Price to Compare is your benchmark. Any licensed competitive supplier that beats your utility’s Price to Compare lowers your supply cost; any that is higher raises it. The state runs the PA Power Switch tool so you can compare offers against your utility’s current Price to Compare (Pennsylvania PUC, as of 2026). The trap is teaser pricing: a low introductory supply rate that resets to a higher variable rate after a few months, which is how some households end up paying more, not less, after switching. Two honest points a rate page should make:

• Shopping only touches supply. You cannot shop away the delivery charges, the monthly customer charge, or the riders. Those stay with your utility no matter who supplies the electrons.
• Solar addresses the delivered rate you pay regardless of supplier. Whether you are on your utility’s default supply or a competitive plan, the kWh your roof produces offsets your full retail rate under net metering. That is a different lever than switching suppliers, and the two can stack.

Most Pennsylvania residential customers are on a flat rate with no peak or off-peak windows, so “off-peak hours” do not apply unless you specifically enroll in an optional time-of-use rate, which some utilities offer for customers who can shift heavy usage such as EV charging to overnight hours (Pennsylvania PUC, as of 2026).

How much can solar save on a Pennsylvania electric bill?

At about 20.9 cents per kWh all-in, a right-sized system offsets most of a typical Pennsylvania home’s electricity, and net metering credits it at full retail. Pennsylvania requires utilities to credit rooftop solar at the full retail rate for the excess power it sends to the grid, with any surplus at the end of the year trued up at the lower price-to-compare generation rate (Pennsylvania PUC, as of 2026). So a kilowatt-hour your roof exports at noon offsets a kilowatt-hour you pull back at night, one for one, at that same all-in rate. The one caveat: if your system produces more than you use across the whole year, that leftover surplus is trued up at the lower rate, not full retail, and net metering does not offset the fixed monthly customer charge. The practical move is to size the system close to your yearly usage rather than oversize it.

The table below is our own estimate for Pennsylvania, computed from the state’s all-in rate and local production, not a figure lifted from another site. Instead of resizing the system to match each home, it holds one representative 6 kW system constant, roughly what an average Pennsylvania home installs, and shows how much of four different usage levels that same array offsets. That is the useful part: the identical system covers a light user’s whole bill but only part of a heavy user’s, and the dollar offset stops climbing once your usage passes what the panels make. It uses the EIA statewide rate of about 20.9 cents per kWh (March 2026) and Philadelphia production of 8,028 kWh a year for a 6 kW system (PVWatts, 19104). Your own numbers depend on your roof, shading, usage, and utility, so treat this as an estimate and check your address.

Your annual usage	Annual bill at about 20.9 cents/kWh	A 6 kW system produces (Philadelphia)	Share of your usage it offsets	Estimated annual bill offset
6,000 kWh (about 500/mo)	About $1,254	About 8,028 kWh	About 100%, with a small surplus	About $1,254
8,028 kWh (about 669/mo)	About $1,678	About 8,028 kWh	About 100%	About $1,678
10,300 kWh (typical PA home, about 858/mo)	About $2,153	About 8,028 kWh	About 78%	About $1,678
13,200 kWh (about 1,100/mo)	About $2,759	About 8,028 kWh	About 61%	About $1,678

Inputs and assumptions: all-in rate about 20.9 cents/kWh (EIA, March 2026); production 8,028 kWh a year for a 6 kW system in Philadelphia (NREL PVWatts, 19104). The annual bill offset is the production you actually use times the rate, capped at your usage under full-retail net metering; a light user’s year-end surplus is trued up at the lower price-to-compare rate. A home in sunnier southeastern Pennsylvania will out-produce one in cloudier western Pennsylvania, where the same 6 kW system near Pittsburgh makes about 7,223 kWh (PVWatts, 15213). To turn this into a payback against a real installed price, run your address through our solar cost and savings guide. Estimate only, not a quote.

The bigger driver is what you avoid over 25 years as rates keep climbing. A Pennsylvania home at the typical usage level spends about $2,153 on electricity this year. Held flat that is roughly $54,000 over 25 years, but Pennsylvania rates have not held flat; at a modest 2% to 3% a year that same 25-year spend is about $69,000 to $78,000 (SolarFY estimate, compounding the EIA rate). Solar does not make electricity free, but it locks in a large share of that spend at today’s cost, which is the real hedge against the next PJM capacity auction. To run the payback for your own roof and utility, see our solar cost and savings guide and how much homeowners save on energy with solar.

What that means for simple payback. At a representative installed price of about $3 per watt in 2026, a 6 kW system runs roughly $18,000 before financing (see our solar cost and savings guide for current pricing). Because the federal 25D homeowner credit ended after December 31, 2025, a 2026 cash or loan buyer nets close to that full amount. Dividing it by the roughly $1,678 a year this system offsets on the bill puts simple payback near 10 to 11 years on bill savings alone, and Pennsylvania SREC income shortens it further. That is an illustration built from the state rate and Philadelphia production above, not a quote; your installed price, roof, and utility move the number, so check your address.

Does Pennsylvania have net metering and SREC income?

Yes, and together they are why Pennsylvania is a solid solar state even though the federal homeowner credit ended. Pennsylvania’s statewide net metering credits your exports at the full retail rate, with any year-end surplus trued up at the lower price-to-compare generation rate (Pennsylvania PUC, as of 2026). On top of that, Pennsylvania runs a solar renewable energy credit market under its Alternative Energy Portfolio Standard (AEPS): each megawatt-hour your system generates earns one Pennsylvania SREC (also called an AEC) that you can sell, adding income beyond the bill savings (Pennsylvania PUC AEPS, as of 2026). SREC prices float with the market rather than a fixed administrative value, so we keep the current price picture on our Pennsylvania SREC price guide for 2026 and the statewide incentive picture on the Pennsylvania solar guide, rather than quoting a number here that would go stale.

What it pays	How it is valued	Who receives it
Net-metering credits on exports	Full retail rate, with year-end surplus trued up at the lower price-to-compare rate	The utility account holder
Pennsylvania SREC / AEC (AEPS program)	Market price per MWh, which floats with supply and demand (see our SREC price guide)	The system owner
Federal residential tax credit (Section 25D)	Ended for systems placed in service after December 31, 2025	Not available to 2026 homeowner-buyers

Pennsylvania has no statewide personal income tax credit for residential solar; the state case rests on net metering plus SREC income, not a state tax credit (Pennsylvania PUC, as of 2026).

What the end of the federal tax credit means for Pennsylvania solar

The federal homeowner credit is gone, but Pennsylvania’s own programs are not. The 30% federal Residential Clean Energy Credit (Section 25D) ended for systems placed in service after December 31, 2025, under the One Big Beautiful Bill Act, so a Pennsylvania homeowner who buys solar with cash or a loan in 2026 cannot claim it (IRS, as of January 2026). You will still see installer pages asking whether the 30% credit is going away; the accurate answer for 2026 is that the homeowner version already ended. What did not change is the part that makes Pennsylvania solar pay: the moderate but rising all-in rate you are offsetting, full-retail net metering, and the AEPS SREC market. For the full timeline, see what the federal solar tax credit change means in 2026, and for how the math still works without it, see going solar in 2026 without the federal tax credit.

One federal exception exists, and it is not the homeowner’s to claim. A separate commercial credit, Section 48E, can apply to a leased or power-purchase-agreement system, but the company that owns the panels claims it, not the homeowner (IRS, as of 2026). On a lease or PPA you do not file for a federal credit yourself. The 25D homeowner credit, by contrast, ended after December 31, 2025.

How to compare solar options against your Pennsylvania rate

Because your utility rate is the thing solar competes with, the smartest comparison starts with your own bill, then screens installers on objective criteria rather than a “best installer” list. When you weigh quotes:

• Start from your all-in rate, not the Price to Compare. Divide a recent bill’s total by the kWh used, then ask each installer to model savings against that number and your actual usage, not a generic state average.
• Confirm the quote uses today’s SREC value and net-metering rules. A quote built on an old incentive figure, or one that leans on the federal residential credit that ended after December 31, 2025, is not comparable to one built on 2026 reality.
• Screen every installer the same way. Look for NABCEP certification, valid Pennsylvania Home Improvement Contractor registration and electrical licensing, a written workmanship and equipment warranty, and real experience with PPL, PECO, Duquesne Light, or your FirstEnergy utility’s interconnection. For a full checklist, see the right questions to ask a solar installer.
• Compare ownership paths. Cash and loan keep the SREC income and the most lifetime savings; a lease or PPA can mean no up-front cost for eligible homeowners, but it is a long-term agreement with monthly payments, not free solar, and the system owner keeps the SREC income. See whether solar panels are worth it.

Pennsylvania has a deep, competitive installer market across Philadelphia, Pittsburgh, Allentown, Harrisburg, Lancaster, and the rest of the state, which is good for pricing. MySolarFY matches you with licensed installers that serve your area so you can compare real local quotes side by side, with no obligation. It helps to see how your rate stacks up against neighbors too, like the New Jersey electricity rates just across the Delaware. You can also read how MySolarFY works and our data and methodology to see how we research these numbers.

Check which solar programs are available at your Pennsylvania address →

Frequently asked questions

What is the price per kWh in Pennsylvania in 2026?

Pennsylvania’s all-in residential electricity rate averages about 20.9 cents per kWh as of March 2026 (about 20.2 cents in January 2026) (EIA Electric Power Monthly, Table 5.6.A), roughly 19% above the national average of about 17.5 cents, which puts a typical home near $180 a month. That all-in figure includes both supply and delivery. The supply-only “Price to Compare” your utility quotes, whether PPL, PECO, Duquesne Light, Met-Ed, Penelec, or West Penn Power, is lower, with delivery charges and riders making up the difference between that supply rate and your full bill.

Are Pennsylvania electricity rates high?

No, Pennsylvania rates are moderate for the region. At about 20.9 cents per kWh they run roughly 19% above the U.S. average of about 17.5 cents, but well below the pricier Northeast: New Jersey averages about 23.5 cents and New England states like Massachusetts and Connecticut top 28 cents (EIA, 2026). Pennsylvania generates a lot of its own power, which helps hold its rate down. The catch is direction: rates have been drifting up with regional capacity costs, so the case for solar here is locking in today’s moderate rate before it climbs further.

Who is the cheapest electricity supplier in Pennsylvania?

Pennsylvania is deregulated, so you can shop the supply portion of your bill, and any licensed supplier that beats your utility’s Price to Compare lowers your supply cost. There is no single permanent “cheapest,” and low introductory rates that reset to higher variable rates are a common trap (Pennsylvania PUC). The state’s PA Power Switch tool lets you compare offers against your current Price to Compare. Remember that shopping only affects supply; delivery charges stay with your utility. Solar works on a different lever, offsetting your full retail rate under net metering no matter which supplier you use.

Is the “Price to Compare” what I actually pay per kWh?

No. The Price to Compare is the supply-only rate, the benchmark you would measure a competitive supplier against (Pennsylvania PUC, as of 2026). Your all-in rate adds delivery charges, the monthly customer charge, and riders on top, which is why your full bill lands near 20.9 cents per kWh even when the Price to Compare looks lower. To find your true cost per kWh, divide a month’s total dollars by the kWh you used. That all-in number is what rooftop solar offsets.

How much can solar save on a Pennsylvania electric bill?

At about 20.9 cents per kWh, a typical Pennsylvania home using about 10,300 kWh a year spends roughly $2,153 on electricity (EIA, March 2026). A 6 kW system in the Philadelphia area produces about 8,028 kWh a year (NREL PVWatts), which offsets roughly three-quarters of that at full-retail net metering, about $1,678 a year, plus SREC income on top. Over 25 years, avoiding a bill that compounds 2% to 3% a year is worth an estimated $69,000 to $78,000. Savings vary by roof, usage, and utility, so treat these as estimates and check your address.

Did the 30% federal solar tax credit end for Pennsylvania homeowners?

Yes. The 30% federal Residential Clean Energy Credit (Section 25D) ended for systems placed in service after December 31, 2025, under the One Big Beautiful Bill Act (IRS, as of January 2026), so a Pennsylvania homeowner who buys solar in 2026 cannot claim it. A separate commercial credit (Section 48E) can apply to leased or PPA systems, but the company that owns the system claims it, not the homeowner. Pennsylvania net metering and the AEPS SREC market were not affected, so the state-level case for solar holds up on its own.

Does Pennsylvania have net metering, and what does it pay?

Yes. Pennsylvania’s statewide net metering requires utilities to credit rooftop solar at the full retail rate for the power you export (Pennsylvania PUC, as of 2026). One kWh sent to the grid offsets one kWh you buy back, at the same all-in rate. Any surplus left at the end of the year is trued up at the utility’s lower price-to-compare generation rate, and net metering does not offset the fixed monthly customer charge, so the smart move is to size a system close to your annual usage rather than oversize it.

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Reviewed by the SolarFY editorial team. Figures were verified against the linked EIA Electric Power Monthly (Table 5.6.A), Pennsylvania Public Utility Commission, and IRS sources as of July 2026. Utility Price to Compare rates reset periodically, SREC market prices float, and net-metering true-up rules can change, so confirm current terms with your utility and the Pennsylvania PUC before you decide. MySolarFY does not provide tax or financial advice; consult a licensed professional about your own situation. Learn more about the MySolarFY team and how we work.

MySolarFY is a free service that matches homeowners with licensed solar installers. We are not an installer, a utility, an electricity supplier, a financing company, or a government program. “No up-front cost” refers to qualifying lease or PPA financing, where eligible homeowners may have no out-of-pocket cost at installation. Lease and PPA terms typically run 20 to 25 years, may include an annual price escalator, and total payments may exceed the cost of a cash purchase; on a lease or PPA the SREC income and any tax benefits go to the company that owns the system, not the homeowner. Homeowners do not get the federal residential credit that ended after December 31, 2025. Solar panels are not free and monthly payments apply. Electricity rates, incentives, savings, and net-metering terms vary by utility and are not guaranteed. See our full disclaimer.