Electric companies in Philadelphia: PECO delivers, suppliers sell

Type how many kWh you use in a month. The sorter lists every plan on PA Power Switch for PECO homes. It works out what each one costs you, with the fees added in. PECO's own price is the one to beat.

Your use is on your PECO bill. If you do not have it handy, try 700. The PUC says PECO's average home used 708 kWh a month in 2025.

This is an estimate of the supply part of your bill: the price times your kWh, plus any monthly fee. Delivery is the same with any supplier, so it is left out. Scores come from our supplier ranking and show only for companies we have scored.

Each plan can carry tags. The tags are warnings drawn from the state's list and from the supplier's own fine print.

The list covers PECO's regular home rate. Homes on PECO's electric heat rate may see other plans on PA Power Switch. We read the state's list once a day, and a supplier can change a price in between. Confirm the price on the supplier's own sign-up page before you agree. We leave out our partner's plans, so the state's full list can be a little longer than ours.

PECO's price to compare is 11.759¢ per kWh. It started on June 1, 2026. That is what you pay for the energy itself if you pick no supplier. Every plan in the sorter is measured against it.

As of October 20, 2026, PA Power Switch lists 146 plans with a price per kWh for PECO homes. Of those, 53 list a lower price than PECO's. That is about 36% of the list.

The low end of that list needs care. In its June 1, 2026 notice, the PUC said wholesale market trends have left fewer supplier offers below the utility's price than in past years. It added that offers priced below the price to compare may be short-term contracts, typically three to six months.

A short plan is not a bad plan. It just needs a plan of its own. When the term ends, you can land on a variable price. The sorter shows each term, so you can see which low prices are short.

The lowest price also may not be the price you get. Read the fine print first. Some low prices depend on your home, your billing choices or an online sign-up.

Two more numbers help you judge a price. The first is the state average. In the latest month the EIA has published, Pennsylvania homes paid 21.72¢ per kWh on average, with every cost counted. The second is how much of your bill you can shop. The PUC says the supply price typically makes up 40% to 60% of a utility bill. The rest is delivery, and nobody can shop that part.

For PECO's own rates, its level-payment plan and its next price, read our PECO rates guide. This page stays with the suppliers. If the whole bill feels too high, start with why your electric bill is so high.

Think of two jobs. One company owns the poles, wires and meters. Another company sells the energy that flows through them. In Philadelphia, PECO does the first job for every home.

PECO's own handbook says it will keep delivering power, sending bills, giving support and answering outages for all customers. That holds whether they buy from PECO or from a supplier. PA Power Switch says the same thing in other words: your utility always remains your electric distribution company.

When you pick no supplier, PECO buys the energy for you and passes the cost on. The handbook says those charges are passed along at "exactly the price that PECO pays." The handbook adds that the delivery part of your bill is approved by the PUC.

How many companies are in the game? Our count of the PUC's licensed list on October 16, 2026 found 100 suppliers and 142 brokers or marketers that may serve homes in PECO's area. A licence does not mean a plan. On October 20, 2026, 45 names had a plan listed for PECO homes, and a few of those names are brokers.

PGW, the gas company, is a different bill. PGW says it is the largest municipally owned gas utility in the country. An electric supplier cannot change your PGW bill.

Three things set what a plan costs you. Your use comes first. Then the price per kWh. Then the fees.

A monthly fee is a flat charge that does not care how much power you use. To compare it with a price per kWh, spread it over your kWh. At 1,000 kWh, a $14.95 fee adds about 1.5¢ to every kWh. At 600 kWh it adds about 2.5¢.

Here is a made-up pair of plans. Plan A costs 10.9¢ per kWh with no fee. Plan B costs 10.2¢ per kWh plus $14.95 a month. Plan B has the lower price, yet it loses.

Plan B only wins above about 2,100 kWh a month. PECO's average home uses 708. For most homes in Philadelphia, a plan with a monthly fee has to beat the no-fee plans by a wide margin to be worth it.

A cancel fee works another way. It only costs you if you leave early. Say a plan saves you $6 a month and carries a $150 cancel fee. If you move after 10 months, you saved $60 and owe $150. You are $90 behind. Ask whether the fee is waived if you move. The contract summary should say.

The sorter handles the monthly fee for you. It adds the fee to the cost of each plan. It shows the cancel fee as a tag on the plan, because only you know how long you will stay.

A low price is half of the answer. The other half is the company. Our score is out of 100. It weighs six things: complaints filed with the PUC, the company's BBB grade, fines and penalties, how fair the contract is, price against the utility's price to compare, and how long the company has held its licence. We explain the method on our scoring page.

A high score does not mean a cheap plan. It means the company has a cleaner record. The best deal is usually a plan that is both cheap and from a company with a decent score. The sorter shows our score next to every plan from a company we have scored.

Our full ranking covers more suppliers than these seven. A company can hold a licence for PECO homes and still have no plan on the state's list on a given day. The sorter shows who has a plan today.

What if the cheapest plan is from a company we have not scored? Do five checks before you sign:

1. 1

   Look the company up on the PUC's licensed supplier list. It must be licensed to serve homes in PECO's area.

2. 2

   Ask for the contract summary. Pennsylvania rules require a disclosure statement with the price, the term and the fees.

3. 3

   Search the company's name on the BBB site and read the complaints, not only the grade.

4. 4

   Call the company. A real supplier answers questions about the end date and the cancel fee.

5. 5

   Keep the written terms. You have three business days after you get them to cancel.

Most bad deals look good on the first line. They go wrong in the details. Use this list as a filter.

Short promos and starting prices

Many of the lowest prices last two to six months. Then a new price starts. The rules say a starting price must be labeled as one. The disclosure must give how long it lasts and the price for the first bill after it ends. Ask for that second price before you sign.

Variable prices

A variable price can change each billing period. The rules say the contract must state whether the price has a limit. If it has none, it must say so in plain words. A supplier with a variable plan must also give you a phone number and a web address for the last 24 months of its average billed prices. Ask for them. Past prices do not promise future ones, but they show how the company acts.

"New customers only"

This tag means the deal is for people who are not already with the company. If you are on a plan with that company now, you may not get the deal. If you buy from PECO's default service, you are new to every supplier.

Prices with conditions

Some prices come with a catch. The fine print may say the rate depends on your home or your billing choices. Some plans add rewards, gift cards or rebates. Rewards are a bonus, not a lower price. Compare the price per kWh first, and treat the reward as a small extra.

Brokers

A broker is a licensed middleman. It shows plans from other companies. One broker listing on the state's site says its prices "are subject to change without notice." Ask who the real supplier is, and read that company's terms before you sign.

Old listings

Look at the date a price was last updated. If the supplier has not touched it in six months or more, the listing may be old. The sorter marks these plans. Call the company to confirm the price, or skip the plan.

Sales at your door and on the phone

Pennsylvania has rules for sellers. At the door, an agent must wear a visible badge. The agent must say he is not working for the utility. Agents may knock only between 9 a.m. and 7 p.m. from October through March, and until 8 p.m. from April through September. By phone, an agent may not say you must pick a supplier. Both kinds of sellers must tell you about your three days to cancel.

PECO's handbook adds a tip. It says you can ask PECO not to share your account information with licensed suppliers. Call 1-800-494-4000. The handbook is from March 2023, so ask PECO if the same option still applies.

A fixed plan ends. What happens next depends on you. The state's rules make the supplier warn you twice.

1. 45 to 60 days before the endThe supplier sends a first notice. It says the contract is ending and what may change.
2. 30 days before the endThe supplier sends an options notice by first-class mail. It shows the new price, your choices and the date you must act by.
3. The last 30 daysEarly cancel fees do not apply. This is a free window to switch to a better plan.
4. If you do nothingYour fixed price can turn into a month-to-month price, or into a new fixed contract that you can cancel any time with no fee.

The options notice must also list the phone numbers for the PUC and the Office of Consumer Advocate. Read it the day it comes. If the new price is higher than PECO's price, you can switch to another plan or go back to PECO.

Set a reminder 70 days before your end date. That gives you time to shop with the sorter before the first notice even arrives. You can also look at a fixed plan whose term ends in the spring. That way you are choosing again in a month when you have time to compare.

If the PECO account is in your name, you can pick the supplier. Renters can shop too. If your rent includes electricity and the account is in your landlord's name, the landlord makes that choice.

Some households cannot shop. PA Power Switch says customers in CAP, the utility's low-income payment program, cannot buy from a competitive supplier. If you are in CAP, stay put and use the help instead. Our guide to help paying your bill explains the programs.

There is one more option that is not a plan on the list. It is the Standard Offer Program. PA Power Switch describes it this way: the utility refers you to a supplier, the price is 7% below the price to compare at the time you enroll, the price is fixed for one year, and you can cancel any time with no fee. The page says the offer is available in PECO's area "at this time."

The sorter shows what 7% below PECO's price comes to at your use. To enroll, call PECO at 1-800-494-4000 and ask about the Standard Offer. The utility picks the supplier at random, so you do not choose the company. Check the terms you get in writing.

PECO has changed its price to compare on June 1 and December 1 in each of the last two years. The PUC lists the new prices in notices before each date.

From June 2024 to June 2026, the price rose about 27%. At 1,000 kWh, that is about $24.83 more a month for the energy part of the bill. That is why plans that held a price through those years looked good.

As of October 20, 2026, PECO had not posted its December 1 price. The PUC sent its December 1 notices on November 25, 2024 and November 24, 2025, so late November is when final prices have come out in recent years. When PECO posts its estimate, the sorter shows it.

1. NowPlans you sign start on their own price. PECO's price stays where it is.
2. Late NovemberThe PUC has posted its December 1 notice in the last week of the month. Final prices appear.
3. December 1PECO's new price starts. A fixed plan keeps its own price. A variable plan follows the market.
4. Your next billCheck which price is on the bill.

If PECO's price goes up on December 1, a fixed plan signed earlier looks better. If it goes down, the same plan looks worse. Nobody knows which way it will go. Pick a plan that works for you at both prices.

Switching takes about ten minutes. Here are the steps.

1. 1
   Find your use.

   Look at your PECO bill for kWh in a month. Use the number for a typical month, not a heat wave.

2. 2
   Sort the plans.

   Type your use in the sorter. Look at the cost, the term and the tags.

3. 3
   Check the company.

   Use the five checks above for any company we have not scored.

4. 4
   Read the terms.

   Look at the price, the term, the monthly fee and the cancel fee. Look for what happens at the end.

5. 5
   Sign up.

   Use the supplier's own page or a phone call. Keep your PECO account number handy.

6. 6
   Set a reminder.

   Do it at the begining, on the day you sign. Mark the end date, and mark a day 70 days before it.

Here is what happens after you sign:

1. You signThe supplier must send you a written disclosure. You have three business days after you get it to cancel, at no cost.
2. The supplier tells PECOPECO makes the change within three business days of getting the sign-up.
3. PECO mails a letterPECO mails you a confirmation by the end of the next business day after it hears from the supplier. It gives the start date.
4. Your next billPECO still sends it. The supplier's price replaces PECO's price per kWh. The supplier's phone number is on the bill.

If something is wrong, call the supplier first. If it does not fix the problem, file a complaint with the PUC on its complaints page or call 1-800-692-7380. For a switch you never approved, the rules are strong. If you file within the first two billing periods and the PUC finds the change was not authorized, you do not owe the supplier's bills for that time.

To go back to PECO's price, call PECO and ask to return to default service. PA Power Switch says switching back to your utility comes at no cost. Your supplier may still charge a cancel fee, so check your contract first.