Electric companies in Erie, PA: Penelec delivers, you pick who sells

Penelec serves 37 places in Erie County, by its own tariff: the cities of Erie and Corry, 13 boroughs and 22 townships. Girard borough is missing from that list, because the borough runs its own electric system.

Pick your town below. The tool names the company and shows that company's price to compare today. It also shows FirstEnergy's estimate for Dec. 1, how many plans beat the price, and the cheapest plain fixed plan.

This is a guide, not a quote. Every 1¢ a plan sits under your company's price keeps about $10 a month at 1,000 kWh, so first make sure of your company: its name is at the top of your bill.

Four names belong to both a borough and a township: Girard, McKean, North East and Waterford. In McKean, North East and Waterford, both are on Penelec's list. In Girard, only the township is. Choose the kind that matches your address.

Not in Erie County? Our Pennsylvania guide has a utility finder for other towns.

Penelec's price to compare is 13.142¢ per kWh, in effect since June 1, 2026. A price to compare is the price of the power itself if you pick no supplier. It has no contract, no monthly fee and no end date.

On October 24, 2026, the state's offer list showed 131 plans with a price per kWh for Penelec homes. 34 of them listed a lower price than Penelec's. That is about 26% of the list.

Read the low end with care. The PUC's June 1, 2026 notice warned that fewer supplier offers sit below the utility's price now than in past years. Many of the cheapest ones are short contracts, often three to six months.

Green plans cost more here. On Oct. 24, 2026, 30 plans for Penelec homes said 100% renewable. The cheapest plain fixed one of 12 months or more cost about $6.72 a month more than a plain plan with no green claim, at 700 kWh. At that use, none of the 12-month green plans beat Penelec's price after fees. Our green electricity guide shows the cost in every area.

On Oct. 24, 2026, Penelec's bill at 1,000 kWh was the highest of the four FirstEnergy districts, by our math, because its delivery charge is the largest. Delivery is the part nobody can shop. Our FirstEnergy Pennsylvania rates guide shows what is in it.

And Penelec's price is set to move again on Dec. 1. Here is what that means for a plan you sign now.

Penelec's price to compare jumped 11.88% on June 1, 2026, from 11.747¢. That was the biggest jump of the four FirstEnergy districts, the PUC reported, and FirstEnergy estimates another rise on Dec. 1. For a home using 1,000 kWh, the June jump alone added about $14 a month to the energy part of the bill.

The December rise is a catch-up charge, not a rise in the cost of power. FirstEnergy's own sheet shows how it works, and our FirstEnergy guide walks through the catch-up line.

1. NowYou sign a plan at its own price. Penelec's price stays where it is.
2. Late NovemberIn recent years the PUC has posted every utility's Dec. 1 prices in the last week of the month.
3. Dec. 1Penelec's new price starts. A fixed plan keeps its own price. A variable plan follows the market.
4. Next JunePenelec's price resets again. A 12-month plan signed now will still be running.

If Penelec's price goes up, a fixed plan signed earlier looks better. If it later falls, the same plan looks worse. Nobody knows which way June will go. Pick a plan that works for you at more than one price.

Penelec delivers the power in most of Erie County, and a supplier you pick can sell it. Think of two jobs. One company builds and fixes the wires. Another sells the energy that flows through them. Penelec reads your meter and sends your bill, even when a supplier sells you the power.

Penelec is one of four FirstEnergy districts. On paper they became one company, FirstEnergy Pennsylvania Electric Company, on Jan. 1, 2024. The four still keep their own names and their own prices. Your bill says Penelec at the top.

If you buy from a supplier, the supplier's price replaces Penelec's price per kWh on your bill. The delivery charges stay the same. Your bill shows the supplier's phone number.

If Penelec does not bill you, Penelec's price to compare does not apply to you. Most Erie County homes are on Penelec. A few are not. A borough can own its electric system, and some rural homes get power from an electric co-op, a company its members own.

PA 211, a free help and referral line, lists Northwestern Rural Electric Cooperative as serving the rural areas of Erie, Crawford, Warren, Venango and Mercer counties. So a rural home in a township on Penelec's list can still be a co-op home.

Girard is the clear borough case. The borough's December 2022 council minutes say its 2023 budget included a $0.0028 per kWh increase in the electric rate. That tells you the borough sets its own electric rates. It does not tell you today's rate, so ask the borough office.

How can you tell which you are? Look at the top of your bill. It names the company that bills you. If it says Penelec, Penelec's price to compare is your number to beat. If it names a borough or a co-op, skip the plan lists on this page and ask that company how its rates work.

You can pick the supplier when the Penelec account is under your name. That holds for renters too. When rent includes electricity and the account is under your landlord's name, the landlord picks.

If your bill is hard to pay, shopping is not the only tool. Read our guide to help paying your electric bill. It covers LIHEAP, utility programs and shutoff rules.

Check the term, the fees, the seller's license and what the price becomes after the term. A plan that fails one of these can cost more than staying on Penelec's price.

A monthly fee is a flat charge. At 700 kWh a month, a $10 fee adds about 1.4¢ to every kWh. A plan 1¢ under Penelec's price with that fee costs you more, not less. The tool above adds the fee for you when it counts how many plans beat the price.

Ask for the date the plan ends and the price after it. The state requires notices before a fixed plan ends, and you can read the rules in our PA Power Switch guide. For a deeper look at a particular company, check its score on our supplier ranking.

Switching takes about ten minutes. Here are the steps.

1. 1
   Find your use.

   Look at your Penelec bill for the kWh in a typical month.

2. 2
   Know the number to beat.

   It is Penelec's price to compare, in the table above.

3. 3
   Check the offer.

   Test it in our offer checker and read the term, the fees and what happens at the end.

4. 4
   Sign up with the supplier.

   Keep your Penelec account number handy.

5. 5
   Set a reminder.

   Write down the end date and a reminder date 70 days before it.

After you sign, the supplier must send a written disclosure, and you have three business days after you get it to cancel at no cost. The change itself takes about three business days once Penelec is told. Penelec mails a confirmation letter with the start date.

If something goes wrong, call the supplier first. If that fails, file a complaint with the PUC on its complaints page or call 1-800-692-7380.