Pennsylvania · Updated September 2026
Switching suppliers, or going solar? A Pennsylvania comparison
They are not the same decision and they do not fix the same part of your bill. Here is what each one actually changes, with Pennsylvania’s own numbers.
See what your bill becomes →Your bill has two halves. You can only shop one.
Supply is the electricity itself. In Pennsylvania you can buy it from your utility at its default rate or from a competitive supplier through PAPowerSwitch. This is the half that is shoppable.
Delivery is the poles, wires, transmission, capacity charges and riders that get the electricity to your house. It is set by your utility and approved by the Pennsylvania PUC. Switching suppliers does not touch it.
What actually went up in 2026
| Utility | Change | Effective |
|---|---|---|
| Penelec | +11.9% | June 1, 2026 |
| West Penn Power | +10.3% | June 1, 2026 |
| Met-Ed | +7.6% | June 1, 2026 |
| Penn Power | +6.9% | June 1, 2026 |
Filed rate changes, publicly available from the Pennsylvania PUC.
That is the part most comparison sites leave out. The increases above landed largely on delivery and transmission — driven by PJM capacity costs and new load arriving faster than new generation. A supplier switch cannot reduce any of it.
The number a supplier has to beat
Your utility publishes a default supply rate — in Pennsylvania it is called the Price to Compare. A supplier offer only saves you money if its rate is below your Price to Compare for the whole term, after any introductory period ends.
Each of the seven Pennsylvania utilities sets its own, and they reset on different schedules — most in June and December. Rather than publish a figure here that could be out of date by the time you read it, get the current one straight from the source: enter your ZIP at PAPowerSwitch and it appears next to every supplier offer. It is also printed on your bill.
The Price to Compare is published per utility by the Pennsylvania PUC and changes on each utility’s own schedule. We do not reproduce it here because a figure that is right today may be wrong next month.
What switching can and cannot do
| Switching supplier | Solar | |
|---|---|---|
| Changes the supply rate | Yes | No |
| Changes delivery charges | No | No |
| Reduces kilowatt-hours bought | No | Yes |
| Fixes your price for years | Term-limited | Yes, under a PPA |
| Upfront cost | None | None under a PPA |
| Can raise your bill | Yes, after the intro rate | No — you buy what it makes |
Both are legitimate. If your supplier rate is well above the default, switching is worth doing today and takes ten minutes. It just addresses roughly half your bill, and not the half that has been rising fastest.
The thing to watch with supplier offers
Introductory rates that reset
A low rate for the first few months followed by a variable rate is the most common structure and the most common complaint. Read the term length and what happens at the end of it.
Cancellation fees
Fixed-rate contracts often carry an early termination fee. That matters if you later install solar and want out.
The rate you are comparing against moves
Your utility’s default supply rate resets on a schedule. A supplier rate that beat it in June may not beat it in December.
What solar does differently
Solar does not change your rate. It reduces the number of kilowatt-hours you buy at whatever the rate becomes — supply and delivery both, because you are not drawing them.
Pennsylvania credits exported power at the full retail rate, one for one. That is the most favourable structure in the region and it is what makes the arithmetic below work.
Under a power purchase agreement there is no upfront cost and no loan. We own the system, you buy the power it produces at a set price, and you only pay for what it actually generates. The comparison is between that price and your all-in utility rate, which in Pennsylvania runs about 19.0–23.1¢ per kilowatt-hour.
The honest caveat: it depends on your roof. Orientation, shading and roof age decide whether it works, and for some homes the answer is no.
Work out your own number
What your bill becomes in 25 years · How many panels your roof needs · Every Pennsylvania utility rate, side by side · How net metering works in Pennsylvania
Check this yourself — official sources
Everything above can be verified at the source. We would rather you check than take our word for it.
- PAPowerSwitch — Pennsylvania’s official supplier comparison site, run by the state. Every licensed supplier must list there, and it shows your utility’s default supply rate next to each offer.
- Pennsylvania Public Utility Commission — the regulator. Rate filings, supplier licences and complaint records are public.
- U.S. Energy Information Administration — state average residential rates, on a consistent national basis.
- IRS Residential Clean Energy Credit — the current federal position. The residential credit (25D) does not apply to property placed in service after December 31, 2025.
Each Pennsylvania utility sets its own Price to Compare and they reset on different schedules, most in June and December. Get the current figure for your utility from PAPowerSwitch or from your own bill — we do not reproduce it here because it goes stale.
Common questions
Is switching electricity suppliers in Pennsylvania worth it?
It can be, if the supplier rate beats your utility's default supply rate for the full term rather than an introductory period. It only affects the supply half of your bill — delivery charges are not shoppable and that is where the 2026 increases landed.
Does switching suppliers lower my delivery charges?
No. Delivery, transmission, capacity and riders are set by your utility and approved by the state commission. No supplier can change them.
Is solar better than switching suppliers in Pennsylvania?
They do different things. Switching changes the price of the electricity you buy. Solar reduces how much you buy. Whether solar makes sense depends on your roof, your usage and your state's export credit — not on the rate alone.
Can I do both?
Yes. Solar reduces the kilowatt-hours you draw; whatever you still draw is billed at whatever supply rate you are on. They are independent decisions.
What is the Price to Compare?
The default supply rate your utility charges if you do not choose a competitive supplier. It is the number a supplier offer has to beat, and it resets on a published schedule.