Shop Pennsylvania Electric Rates and Compare Energy Suppliers

The Keystone State deregulated its electricity market in 1996 with the Electricity Generation Customer Choice and Competition Act. Deregulation in Pennsylvania created a vibrant, competitive energy market.

Today, Pennsylvania residents can compare natural gas and electricity plans from several energy companies. Competition empowers customers to avoid seasonal rate changes and gives consumers more energy choices, including clean, carbon-free energy and renewable energy options.

If you want to shop and save and are curious about where to start, we’ll walk you through it.

Here’s all you need to know.  

1. Energy Harbor’s clean energy option
2. A brief history of Energy Choice and energy suppliers in Pa.
3. A quick 101 on how energy reaches your home
4. Compare Pa. electric suppliers’ rates
5. Pa. electric utility companies
6. Pa. natural gas utility companies
7. How to find and switch to the best electric rates in Pa. in 6 simple steps
8. Why choose Energy Harbor: The clean energy difference
9. More about Energy Harbor
10. FAQs

Only 17 states, including Pennsylvania, enjoy some form of deregulation. Most of those states were inspired by the federal government’s Energy Policy Act of 1992. The goal of the legislation, signed into law by President George H.W. Bush, was to promote energy efficiency, renewable and sustainable energy, and the development of alternative fuels. Highlights include:

• Setting energy efficiency standards for household appliances and other equipment.
• Providing grants and loans through the Department of Energy for renewable and sustainable energy projects, research, and development.
• Promoting the use of alternative fuels.
• Encouraging competition in the wholesale electricity market, providing utility rate restructuring guidelines, and supporting the development of independent power production.

Energy Choice is a freedom Pennsylvanians have enjoyed since 1996, when the state passed the Electricity Generation Customer Choice and Competition Act. The act created a competitive energy market, allowing consumers to switch from their single, local utility to one of several electricity suppliers. By introducing competition, the state would provide consumers with more options, lower electricity rates, and, hopefully, higher energy efficiency statewide.

Energy reaches Pennsylvania homes and businesses through the interconnected work of three types of electricity and natural gas companies – generation companies, suppliers, and utility companies. Some companies, like Energy Harbor, provide both electricity generation and electricity supply. 

• Generation companies produce electricity via several methods, including sustainable and clean energy sources, like nuclear, hydroelectric, wind, solar, and others. They also invest in infrastructure and maintain power plants.
• Suppliers, sometimes called electric generation suppliers (EGS), buy energy wholesale from generation companies, primarily, and sell it to consumers. Suppliers also shop and compare, then pass savings along to customers, knowing they have the option to choose their electricity supplier.
• Utility companies operate local distribution systems that deliver energy to homes and businesses. Utilities maintain the grid, or the energy infrastructure that includes power lines, transformers, substations, and more. Anything that distributes electricity within their service territory. 

Securing a competitive rate for electricity is one of the biggest advantages of Energy Choice. Customers can compare Pa. energy suppliers and select the right kind of plan to meet their unique needs.

While the Price to Compare is helpful to determine whether an offer from an alternative supplier is competitive, it only addresses the supply portion of your energy bill. The cost associated with other components, such as transmission and distribution service and maintenance, are separate.

The Price to Compare for Pa. electric rates typically ranges between $0.04 and $0.08 per kilowatt hour in any given month, though could be higher or lower. Including other costs and fees from utilities, residential customers in Pennsylvania pay an average total of $0.0918 per kilowatt hour on their electric bill. 

Seven utility companies in Pennsylvania are responsible for distributing and transmitting electricity to the more than 145 million people who live and work in the state.

Five companies distribute natural gas to customers throughout the Keystone State. 

If you’re ready to start comparing electric prices in Pa. – and maybe make a switch – here are six simple steps you can follow to ensure switching success.

Knowing how much you pay monthly for electricity and natural gas – as well as how that price is determined – will help you make a more informed decision when comparing plans.

Most electricity plans come in one of two varieties – fixed rate and variable rate. With a fixed rate, you pay the same rate each billing cycle through the plan contract, regardless of fluctuations in the energy market. The price you pay for electricity could shift significantly from month to month with a variable rate plan, depending on market prices.

Learn more about the pros and cons of fixed-rate and variable-rate plans by reading The Truth About Variable-Rate and Fixed-Rate Plans

Short-term plans typically last 6 to 12 months. Long-term plans can extend beyond 18 – even up to 36 months. Short-term plans are best if you regularly shop for new rates. Long-term plans lock in a great rate for a big stretch of time.

Long-term fixed-rate plans also provide price stability and protection from potential price increases in the energy market. With a fixed-rate plan, you can budget your energy expenses with more certainty. Additionally, long-term fixed-rate plans can offer peace of mind and reduce the stress of constantly monitoring and shopping for new energy rates.

Some energy companies offer incentives to entice you to make the switch. Make sure you don’t miss out on those offers before switching energy companies. Incentives range from gift cards to energy-efficient products and everything in between. These incentives can make the switch to clean energy even more attractive and financially beneficial. 

When researching energy suppliers, it's important to choose a plan that matches both your individual values and your budget. If you are environmentally conscious, for example, you may want to consider renewable and clean energy sources or evaluate the environmental impact of each supplier. Read reviews, visit social media, and take time to learn more about each energy company. The right research will reveal the best electric supplier in Pa. for your needs.

Making the switch to the new provider is simple. In fact, your new supplier will manage the entire process with your electric utility company.

No matter who your electric supplier is, local utility companies remain responsible for the service and maintenance of the electricity transmission and distribution infrastructure. All outages and downed power lines should be reported to your local utility immediately.

If you plan on moving soon, find out which service areas are covered by your supplier. If they offer plans in your new area, they may be able to help transfer service.

Still have questions about how to switch? Check out How to Choose an Electricity or Natural Gas Plan to learn more.

When it comes to climate change, carbon emissions from fossil fuels are “by far the largest contributor to global climate change, accounting for 75% of global greenhouse gas emissions and nearly 90% of all carbon dioxide emissions,” according to the United Nation’s Climate Action task force.

Because generating electricity via nuclear power is a carbon-free, zero-emission product, it is defined as a clean energy resource. One that is as clean as renewable energy, according to the International Panel on Climate Change. Nuclear power avoids more than 471 million metric tons of carbon dioxide emissions annually, nearly equivalent to removing 100 million passenger cars from the road.

It’s more than that, of course. Nuclear energy produces more electricity on less land than any other clean-air source. To produce the same amount of electricity as a 1,000-megawatt nuclear facility, you would need more than 3 million solar panels or more than 430 wind turbines, says the U.S. Office of Nuclear Energy.

Nuclear power also produces a fraction of the waste other energy resources do. Nuclear fuel produced in the U.S. over the last 60 years would fit on about 10 yards of a standard football field. And in the future, much of this waste will be reprocessed and recycled.

Energy Harbor is proud of its ability to offer zero-carbon energy plan options that empower consumers to contribute to a clean energy future. Pa.'s Beaver Valley plant helps generate safe, reliable nuclear energy.

Based in Akron, Ohio, and both an energy generator and retail supplier, Energy Harbor’s supply services are backed by actual power generation capabilities. That means Energy Harbor can provide long-term fixed price protection against fluctuating energy prices.

As the owner and operator of one of the most reliable and efficient generation fleets in North America, Energy Harbor provides dependable, affordable, carbon-free electricity to Pennsylvania homes and communities.