How to Lower Your Electric Bill in Pennsylvania

Pennsylvania has given residents the right to choose their electricity supplier since 1996, one of the first states in the country to do so. Most Pennsylvanians have never used that right. For those still on their utility's default rate, that is money leaving their pocket every month that does not have to.

The fastest way to lower your bill is to switch to a competitive electricity supplier. Pylon does that for you automatically, for free. This post explains how it works and what else you can do to reduce what you pay.

The Fastest Way: Let Pylon Switch Your Supplier

Your Pennsylvania electric bill has two components. Delivery covers the poles, wires, and meters in your area. That portion is controlled by your local utility and cannot be changed. Supply is the electricity itself, and in Pennsylvania, you can choose who provides it.

If you have never switched suppliers, you are paying your utility's default rate, called the Price to Compare (PTC). The PA PUC sets this rate quarterly, resetting on March 1, June 1, September 1, and December 1 each year. Starting June 1, 2026, every major Pennsylvania utility raised its supply rates, including PECO, PPL Electric, Duquesne Light, and the four FirstEnergy Pennsylvania subsidiaries: Met-Ed, Penelec, Penn Power, and West Penn Power. Competitive suppliers licensed by the PA PUC routinely offer rates 10 to 25 percent below that default.

Pylon monitors those licensed supplier rates daily across every Pennsylvania utility territory. When a better rate is available, Pylon enrolls you automatically. When your contract approaches expiration, Pylon evaluates the market again and switches you if something better exists. You sign up once at yourpylon.com/electricity/pennsylvania/, authorize Pylon to act as your energy agent, and Pylon takes it from there. On a typical Pennsylvania bill averaging around $150 per month, savings of 10 to 25 percent on the supply portion add up to real money annually without changing how you use electricity.

The switch itself involves no service interruption. Pylon submits the enrollment to your utility on your behalf, and your new rate appears on the same bill you already receive within one to two billing cycles. Your utility still delivers your power and handles any outages. Pennsylvania also gives you a 3-business-day right to cancel any new supplier contract after signing.

Your Utility Territory Determines Your Options

Pennsylvania has several electric distribution companies, and the suppliers Pylon can access for you depend on which one serves your address.

PECO serves Philadelphia and the surrounding southeastern counties. PPL Electric serves central and eastern Pennsylvania, including the Lehigh Valley and Scranton regions. Duquesne Light serves Pittsburgh and surrounding Allegheny and Beaver counties. Met-Ed, Penelec, Penn Power, and West Penn Power are the four FirstEnergy subsidiaries serving various parts of central, western, and northern Pennsylvania.

Rates vary meaningfully by territory. As of early 2026, Duquesne Light customers in Pittsburgh carry the highest average all-in rate among major Pennsylvania utilities, at approximately 23.1 cents per kWh. PECO territory in Philadelphia and surrounding suburbs consistently sees the most competitive supplier activity in the state, with fixed-rate plans starting around 7.39 cents per kWh. Pylon operates across all of these territories. Enter your ZIP code at yourpylon.com/electricity/pennsylvania/ to see what is available at your specific address.

What Switching Does and Does Not Change

The supply portion of your bill is the piece Pylon shops on your behalf. Delivery charges, set by the PA PUC and your distribution utility, stay the same regardless of which supplier you are on.

A record-breaking surge in PJM Interconnection's capacity auction prices for 2025 and 2026 is one of the primary drivers behind rising Pennsylvania electricity bills. That capacity cost pressure flows through to every utility in the state and cannot be avoided on the delivery side. What Pylon addresses is the supply portion, which is the portion you can control. Switching gets you off a high default supply rate. It does not reduce delivery charges, which are fixed for every customer in your utility territory regardless of supplier.

Reduce Usage on the Delivery Side

These steps lower the kilowatt-hours you consume, which reduces both supply and delivery charges:

Thermostat management. Heating and cooling account for a large share of most Pennsylvania home electricity bills, particularly in winter. A programmable or smart thermostat that adjusts automatically when you are asleep or away reduces HVAC consumption without ongoing effort.

Appliance upgrades. Older refrigerators, water heaters, and HVAC systems consume disproportionately more electricity than newer equivalents. ENERGY STAR-rated replacements typically use 10 to 30 percent less electricity.

LED lighting. Replacing incandescent bulbs with LEDs reduces lighting energy use by about 75 percent per bulb.

Off-peak usage. Some Pennsylvania utility tariffs offer time-of-use pricing, where electricity costs less during off-peak hours. Running laundry, dishwashers, and electric vehicle charging overnight or on weekends reduces costs for customers on those rate structures.

These steps reduce kWh consumption and are worth doing. But none of them touch the supply rate, which is where Pylon focuses and where the biggest single savings come from for most Pennsylvania households.

If You Are Already on a Competitive Supplier

If you are already on a competitive supplier, Pylon still helps. When a fixed-rate contract expires and you do not act, most suppliers automatically roll you to a variable rate or renew you at a less competitive fixed rate. Variable rates can rise sharply when wholesale market conditions shift. PPL's Price to Compare has risen 66 percent since 2020, which reflects how much the market can move.

Pylon monitors your contract end date and evaluates available rates before expiry. If something better is available, Pylon switches you. If not, it keeps watching. You do not have to track anything.

How to Get Started with Pylon

Pylon is free to Pennsylvania residents. It earns a commission from the supplier when it enrolls you, the same structure traditional energy brokers use. You pay nothing.

Sign up at yourpylon.com/electricity/pennsylvania/. Pylon will confirm your utility territory, find the best available rate, and handle the enrollment. From that point on, Pylon monitors rates daily and switches you automatically whenever a better option exists at the right time.

For more on how the switching process works, see How Does Switching Electricity Suppliers Work.

Frequently Asked Questions

Can Pennsylvania residents choose their electricity supplier? Yes. Pennsylvania deregulated its electricity market in 1996 under the Electricity Generation Customer Choice Act. Every residential customer in a distribution utility territory can choose a competitive supplier for the supply portion of their bill.

What is the Price to Compare in Pennsylvania? The Price to Compare is the default supply rate your utility charges if you have not chosen a competitive supplier. It is set by the PA PUC and resets quarterly. Any licensed supplier offering a rate below your current Price to Compare saves you money on the supply portion of your bill.

Which utilities serve Pennsylvania residential customers? The major electric distribution utilities in Pennsylvania are PECO (Philadelphia and southeast PA), PPL Electric (central and eastern PA), Duquesne Light (Pittsburgh area), and the four FirstEnergy Pennsylvania subsidiaries: Met-Ed, Penelec, Penn Power, and West Penn Power.

Will switching suppliers affect my electricity service? No. Your utility continues to deliver power and respond to outages regardless of which supplier Pylon puts you on. The switch affects only the supply line on your bill.

How long does a supplier switch take in Pennsylvania? Typically one to two billing cycles from enrollment to effective rate change, timed to your next meter read date.

Does Pennsylvania give me any protection when signing with a new supplier? Yes. Pennsylvania gives residential customers a 3-business-day right to cancel any new supplier contract after signing, with no penalty.

Is Pylon free? Yes. Pylon earns a commission from the supplier when it enrolls you. Pennsylvania residents pay nothing.

What happens when my supplier contract expires? Most suppliers roll you to a variable rate or auto-renew at a different fixed rate when your contract ends. Pylon monitors your contract end date and switches you to a better rate before that happens.