Pennsylvania households paid an average of 21.77¢ per kWh in August 2026, 20% above the US average and +9.2% on a year earlier. That ranks #14 of 51, most expensive first.
Source EIA, residential retail priceLatest month August 2026
Average residential pricePA
21.77¢/kWh
Typical bill
$175/mo
Average use
837kWh
EV, 1,000 mi
$57/mo
Thirteen months of prices
Average residential price by month, ¢/kWh (EIA). Highest 21.77¢ in August 2026, lowest 19.93¢ in August 2025. Download the data (CSV)
Utilities and rate plans
Each utility’s current residential tariffs, transcribed from its tariff sheets, with periods, tiers, fixed charge and a typical bill. Customer counts from EIA-861 (2025).
Each row prices a utility’s standard plan for a typical home. The Pennsylvania average of 20.86¢/kWh (EIA, 12 months) is what every household in the state actually paid, including utilities not modeled here and discounted low-income bills, so it can sit below every row.
Models FirstEnergy Pennsylvania's Met-Ed rate district (former Metropolitan Edison); West Penn, Penelec and Penn Power districts have different rates.
Models FirstEnergy Pennsylvania's West Penn rate district (former West Penn Power), its largest residential default-service district; Met-Ed, Penelec and Penn Power districts have different rates.
Against the national average and states with similar prices
Average residential ¢/kWh, August 2026 (EIA).
Pennsylvania21.77¢
United States18.16¢
Maryland21.40¢
Michigan22.99¢
Vermont23.84¢
Wisconsin19.41¢
Charging an electric car in Pennsylvania
Driving a Tesla Model Y Long Range AWD 1,000 miles a month takes 275 kWh from the wall (EPA 27.5 kWh/100 mi), about $57 at the state average. A 25.5 mpg gasoline car covering the same distance at $4.32 a gallon (Central Atlantic (PADD 1B) average, October 2026) costs about $169.
On a time-of-use plan, charging in the cheapest hours beats the flat average. The table shows, for each utility, the plan with the lowest total bill for a typical Pennsylvania home that adds 1,000 EV miles a month, averaged over the year, and what plugging in at 6 pm would cost instead.
Over the last 12 months the average price was 20.86¢ per kWh and the average home used 837 kWh a month, so a typical Pennsylvania household spent about $175 a month on electricity, or $2,095 a year. Use is close to the US average of 875 kWh a month, peaking in January at 1,129 kWh.
The state average hides the real spread. Utilities in the same state charge different prices, and on a time-of-use plan the same kWh costs more in the peak hours than off-peak; each utility page shows by how much. Open PECO’s page to see its plans, prices by hour and fixed charge, or run the calculators below with Pennsylvania preloaded.
Natural gas for homes averaged $1.54 per therm over the 12 months to August 2026 (EIA, all charges included), and a typical gas-heated home uses about 647 therms a year for heating. The heat pump calculator compares that with electric heating on your plan.
A south-facing, 20° rooftop array in Pennsylvania produces about 1,250 kWh per installed kW a year (NREL PVWatts at the state’s population center). What that is worth depends on your utility’s export rule, shown on each utility’s page.
Pennsylvania electricity: common questions
How much does electricity cost in Pennsylvania?
Homes in Pennsylvania paid an average of 21.77¢ per kWh in August 2026, against 18.16¢ for the US, which ranks the state #14 of 51 from most expensive. Over the last 12 months the average was 20.86¢. These are EIA averages of what households actually paid, fixed charges included; your utility and plan set your own price.
What is the average electric bill in Pennsylvania?
About $175 a month ($2,095 a year): the average Pennsylvania home used 837 kWh a month over the last 12 months at an average 20.86¢/kWh. Use peaks in January, at 1,129 kWh.
Are electricity prices going up in Pennsylvania?
Pennsylvania's average residential price was 21.77¢/kWh in August 2026, 9.2% higher than a year earlier. Over the last ten years the 12-month average has changed by +4.1% a year, against +3.7% a year for the US.
How much does it cost to charge an electric car in Pennsylvania?
Driving 1,000 miles a month in a Tesla Model Y Long Range AWD takes 275 kWh from the wall, about $57 at the state's average home price, against about $169 of gasoline for a 25.5 mpg car. On a time-of-use plan, charging overnight can cost less than that.
Do Pennsylvania utilities offer time-of-use plans?
Yes. PECO offers R-TOU (peak 2 pm–6 pm on summer weekdays); Met-Ed offers RS-TOU (peak 2 pm–9 pm on summer weekdays); West Penn Power offers RS-TOU (peak 2 pm–9 pm on summer weekdays). Each utility's page shows every period and price.