Inspire Clean Energy reviews: should you pick a flat plan or a price per kWh?

Inspire sells two kinds of plans in Pennsylvania: a price for each kWh, or one flat price each month. A flat plan can feel safe. It is also a bet on your own use. Use less than the price assumes, and you pay for power you never used.

Pick your electric company in the tool below. It lists Inspire's plans there from the state's shopping site, then finds the use where the two plan types cost the same.

The table reads the PUC's PA Power Switch list, last read October 20, 2026. The result counts supply charges only. Delivery and taxes are the same on either plan, so this is an estimate, not a bill.

Do it by hand

Divide the flat monthly price by the price per kWh. The answer is your break-even use. That is the monthly kWh where both plans cost the same.

Here is an example. A flat plan costs $140 a month, and a per-kWh plan costs 14¢. Then $140 ÷ $0.14 = 1,000 kWh. Use more than 1,000 kWh a month and the flat plan costs less. Use less and the per-kWh plan costs less.

The columns are the same three uses the state's disclosure table uses. Read across to the one closest to your monthly use. If the flat price you were quoted is lower than the number in the table, the flat plan costs you less at that use. If it is higher, the per-kWh plan costs less.

Inspire's own help page names its plans. "Pay-per-use plans" charge a set rate for each kWh. "Subscription plans" charge one monthly price for supply, "no matter how much your home needs." Both come in an intro-price version too.

Two things stay the same on either plan. Your utility still delivers the power, reads the meter and sends one bill. And Inspire's price covers supply only. Inspire says supply is typically 50 to 60 percent of a bill. The rest is delivery, which the utility charges and which still moves with your use.

What the state says about flat plans

The PUC's shopping site calls flat plans "unlimited" plans. It says the price is one monthly amount for supply. It tells shoppers to ask about three things: pricing tiers, usage limits and the cancel fee.

State rules add one more step. If a plan has a fixed monthly price, the written terms must show the average price per kWh at 500, 1,000 and 2,000 kWh, in a table (52 Pa. Code § 54.5). That table turns a flat price into a price you can compare. Ask to see it.

Intro prices

Both of Inspire's plan types come in an intro-price version. In Inspire's plan notes, the intro version of the flat plan starts with an intro price. Then it moves to "a customized flat monthly subscription price." Inspire says it will give you that new price "in writing at least 30 days" before the intro period ends. So ask for the after-intro price before you agree.

Five things to get in writing

• The price after the intro ends.
• Any limit on your use, and any extra charge if you use much more or much less than the plan expects.
• The cancel fee, in dollars.
• The average price per kWh at 500, 1,000 and 2,000 kWh.
• What happens when the term ends, and when Inspire will tell you.

Yes, it is a licensed Pennsylvania supplier. It has also faced one state action. The facts below come from public records.

License

The PUC licensed the company on September 26, 2013, when it was named DWP Energy Holdings, LLC. It took the Inspire name in 2014. Today it is Inspire Energy Holdings, LLC, doing business as Inspire Clean Energy. Many people still search for it as Inspire Energy. Its license number is A-2013-2376082.

Complaints filed with the PUC

Each year the PUC counts the complaints filed about each supplier. Inspire's count was 120 in 2022, 120 in 2023 and 49 in 2024.

The PUC warns that these counts do not adjust for company size and do not prove a broken rule. They also include requests for payment plans. So we divide by size. In 2024 Inspire served about 89,889 Pennsylvania homes, by federal EIA data. That is 5.45 complaints per 10,000 homes. In 2023 it was 11.25 (120 complaints, 106,655 homes). The rate more than halved in one year.

BBB

The BBB lists Inspire with an A+ and as accredited. We read it on October 16, 2026. A BBB grade is one group's view of how a company handles complaints. It is not a government rating.

The 2024 Attorney General agreement

On November 8, 2024, Inspire signed an Assurance of Voluntary Compliance with the Pennsylvania Attorney General. It was filed in Philadelphia's Court of Common Pleas (case 241101095). Inspire agreed to pay $250,000: $150,000 in refunds to customers and $100,000 for the state's costs and fees.

The Commonwealth alleged that, in some door-to-door and in-store sales, representatives:

• said people were only signing a survey or a mailing list when they were enrolling;
• said costs would stay the same or drop, when costs rose in some cases;
• said a first monthly cost would last at least 12 months, when it rose after a "trial term" ended on a plan with an intro price;
• claimed a tie to the government or to a utility.

It also alleged that some written materials did not clearly state pricing, cancel rules and trial periods.

The agreement lists complaint labels from Inspire's own system, such as "Rate Misinformation" and "Subscription Full Bill vs. Supply Only." The second label shows that the flat-plan mix-up had its own tag. Remember that the flat price covers supply only.

Other states

We found no action by another state's regulator or attorney general. We looked at the Massachusetts DPU list of supplier settlements (updated January 14, 2026), PUC and Attorney General records, and web searches. We did not search every state one by one, so read this as "none found," not "none exist." Any action in another state would show here as reported, not scored.

Inspire says you can cancel at any time with no cancellation fee. On October 16, 2026, PA Power Switch also showed "no" for the cancel fee on the Inspire plans it listed. Here is the order that keeps you safe.

1. 1
   Check how long ago you signed.

   State rules give you 3 business days to cancel after you get the written terms. If you are inside that window, say you are rescinding. Inspire's checkout says to call (866) 403-2620.

2. 2
   Pick where you are going first.

   You can choose a new supplier on PA Power Switch or go back to your utility's default price. Your power stays on either way.

3. 3
   Tell Inspire.

   Use the cancel-plan flow in your Inspire account, call (866) 403-2620 (Monday to Friday, 9 am to 6 pm Eastern) or email help@inspirecleanenergy.com.

4. 4
   Get it in writing.

   Ask for an email that confirms your request. Inspire's flow says your utility will process it and send a notice with your last date of service.

5. 5
   Check your next bills.

   Make sure the supply line changes on the date you were given. If a fee shows up, ask Inspire to remove it. If it will not, file with the PUC (see the last section).

Inspire scores 72/100, which is the Good band on our scale. Each part comes from a public record or from Inspire's own papers, and the table shows the math. Read the full method on how we score. We leave star ratings from review sites out of the score.

The price part uses the prices PA Power Switch showed on October 15, 2026, so every supplier is measured on the same days. Inspire has changed its listed prices since then. The tool above shows today's prices, so the two can differ.

The 2024 agreement counts against the fines score for 10 years. If we can read Inspire's Pennsylvania contract, the arbitration part of the contract score can move up or down.

We could not read Inspire's Pennsylvania supply contract. Inspire's help page says it sends you a copy of the service agreement after you enroll, and we did not enroll. so the terms below come from state rules, PA Power Switch and Inspire's own help pages and plan notes. Treat them as a checklist, and ask for the full terms before you agree.

When your term ends

Pennsylvania rules make every supplier send two notices before a fixed contract ends. The first comes 45 to 60 days before the end date. The second comes at least 30 days before. The second notice must list your options and the new price for your first bill. If your plan has a cancel fee, you do not owe it when you leave between that second notice and the end date.

1. 45 to 60 days before the endFirst notice. It gives the end date and says why the terms change.
2. At least 30 days beforeSecond notice, by first-class mail. It lists your options and the new price. You can leave with no fee from now on.
3. The end dateYour plan ends. If you did nothing, you move to a new plan.
4. After the end dateYou stay until you pick a plan or return to your utility. On a month-to-month plan, a later price change needs 30 days' notice.

If you do nothing, the rules say your plan becomes a month-to-month plan, or a new fixed plan that you can leave at any time with no fee. We do not know which one Inspire uses after a Pennsylvania term, because we could not read the contract. Inspire says it does not sell variable-rate plans to new customers. Set a reminder for 60 days before your end date, and compare offers then.

Your 3-day right to cancel

Pennsylvania gives you 3 business days after you get the written terms. You can cancel in writing or by phone, and online if the supplier allows it. A supplier may not ask you to give up this right (52 Pa. Code § 54.5). Inspire's checkout tells you to call (866) 403-2620 to rescind within 3 business days after you accept online.

Rhythm Energy, Inc. owns Inspire. It bought the company's parent on June 1, 2025. Shell owned it before that, from September 15, 2021.

1. September 26, 2013The PUC licenses the company, then named DWP Energy Holdings, LLC.
2. 2014The company takes the Inspire name.
3. September 15, 2021Shell New Energies US buys all of Inspire Energy Capital, LLC, the top parent.
4. June 1, 2025Rhythm Energy, Inc. buys all of Inspire Energy Capital, LLC.

The PUC license is still held by Inspire Energy Holdings, LLC. Only the owner above it changed. Both sales were reported to the PUC in letters. Rhythm sells electricity in Texas, where we review it too: see our Texas review. Texas rules and scores do not carry over to Pennsylvania, and we do not score Inspire on Rhythm's record.

We score every supplier with the same six parts. Here is Inspire next to three suppliers that have their own reviews.

The last column is the average of the PPL and PECO areas for each company's simplest 12-month fixed plan, read October 15 and 16, 2026. Under 100% means below the utility's default price. Inspire has the lowest complaint rate of the four. It loses points to the 2024 agreement and to its price. See all 21 scored suppliers on our Pennsylvania supplier ranking.

Inspire says it matches 100% of your use with renewable generation or renewable energy certificates, called RECs. A REC is a credit for one megawatt-hour of renewable power. Inspire's help page says you will not get power from one specific plant. Your home still gets power from the same grid as before.

Joining from a supplier that charged you a switching fee? Inspire's help page says it may repay up to $150 of that fee, depending on where you live. Ask before you switch.

1. 1
   Write to Inspire.

   Email help@inspirecleanenergy.com or call (866) 403-2620. Say what went wrong and what fix you want. Keep a copy.

2. 2
   Gather your papers.

   Collect your bills, your contract, any notices and your notes of calls.

3. 3
   File with the PUC.

   If Inspire does not fix it, call the PUC at 1-800-692-7380 or file online at puc.pa.gov/complaints. If you never agreed to switch, say so. The PUC calls that slamming and says it has a "zero tolerance" policy.

4. 4
   Know your other help.

   The state's Office of Consumer Advocate also answers questions about shopping for a supplier. Its number is (800) 684-6560.

Complaints you file with the PUC are counted in its yearly report. That count is part of our score.