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Pennsylvania · Electric

Pennsylvania: should you lock in a price before Dec. 1?

By Dr. Matthew Crowley

· 6 min read

Checked against: PA Power Switch (papowerswitch.com). How we get our prices

This guide is about Pennsylvania. Judy checks bills in 18 states. Find your state's rules

Most Pennsylvania electric companies set a new standard price on December 1. As the date gets close, you may hear it from salespeople, in ads and from neighbors: "Lock in now before prices go up!"

Maybe prices will go up. Maybe they won't. Here's the plain truth: until the new prices are posted, nobody knows the new number. Not me, not a salesperson. So here is how to make a smart choice without guessing.

Today's prices are on our PECO Price to Compare and PPL Electric Price to Compare pages. Each December 1 price shows on Pennsylvania price changes once it is posted.

What changes on December 1?

Your utility's standard price is called the Price to Compare. It is what you pay for the electricity itself if you never picked a supplier. Most Pennsylvania utilities set a new one twice a year, on June 1 and December 1.

The new price can be higher or lower. Only the supply part of your bill changes. Delivery, the part that pays for wires and poles, is set separately, through rate cases at the PA PUC. To see each utility's price today and when it changes, start from the Pennsylvania page. For how the standard price works, read Price to Compare on a PA electric bill.

When will the new number be known?

New prices are posted shortly before they start. The Pennsylvania Public Utility Commission (PA PUC) also sends out a notice with each utility's new price. Last year's notice came out on November 24 (opens a new tab), one week before the change.

As soon as a new price is in, it shows on our "what changes next" page for your utility, with about how much more or less a month you would pay. Start from the Pennsylvania page, or go straight to PECO, PPL Electric, Duquesne Light, Met-Ed, Penelec, Penn Power or West Penn Power.

First: which group are you in?

Look at the supply part of your newest bill.

  • Only your utility's name is there. You pay the Price to Compare. December 1 changes your price.
  • A supplier with a fixed price. December 1 doesn't change your price. When it announced the June 1 changes this year, the PA PUC said they "only affect customers receiving 'default service' from their electric utility." The same goes for December. Check when your contract ends instead.
  • A supplier with a variable price, or a contract that ended. Your supplier sets your price, and it can change from bill to bill. This is the group that most needs a look. See My electric bill jumped. Is it a variable rate?

Should I lock in now, or wait?

Both can be fine. Here's how I think about it.

Waiting a couple of weeks costs little. Once the new Price to Compare is posted, you can compare any offer with the price you'll really pay from December 1. A fixed offer that beats today's price might not beat the new one. It might also beat it by more.

Locking in can make sense if:

  • the offer is a fixed price, not variable
  • it's lower than the Price to Compare you will pay, or close to it and you value knowing your price for a while
  • there's no monthly fee
  • the fee to leave early is small or zero
  • you know what happens when it ends

Be careful if:

  • the price is "variable" or only good for a few months
  • the seller says the deal ends today
  • you are asked for your account number before you've decided

What about the Standard Offer Program?

Some Pennsylvania utilities offer the Standard Offer Program. PA Power Switch shows whether yours does. It gives a fixed price 7% below the utility's current Price to Compare when you sign up, for 12 months, with no fee to leave. Because the discount is from the Price to Compare on the day you sign up, timing matters, and nobody knows yet which way December's price will move. See how the Standard Offer works.

Five questions before you sign anything

  1. What is the price per kWh, in cents?
  2. Is it fixed or variable? For how many months?
  3. Is there a monthly fee?
  4. Is there a fee to cancel early? How much?
  5. What happens when the contract ends?

You can compare offers on the state's shopping site, PA Power Switch (opens a new tab).

If you sign up and change your mind

  • You have a cooling-off period. You can cancel within 3 business days after you get the supplier's disclosure statement, at no cost.
  • Switching isn't instant. Your utility makes the switch within 3 business days after it gets the supplier's request. Ask which bill will show the new price.
  • You can go back. PA Power Switch says to "contact your utility and ask to return to default service." Check your contract for a fee first.

Watch out for pressure

A price change brings more door knocks and calls. A door-to-door seller must show a badge, say they don't work for your utility, and leave when you ask. See Door-to-door energy sellers: your rights and red flags.

Who to call

  • PA PUC: 1-800-692-7380
  • Office of Consumer Advocate: 1-800-684-6560

Judy Saves is independent. I don't sell electricity and no supplier pays me. I'll never call you or knock on your door.

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