PECO Energy
About PECO
PECO - The Philadelphia Electric Company, is the electricity and natural gas distributor the southeastern corner of Pennsylvania. PECO began life in 1881 as the Brush Electric Light Company of Philadelphia. In the early days of electricity in the late nineteenth century, about 20 companies using a variety of voltages and frequencies competed for customers throughout the city of Philadelphia. In 1899, the Philadelphia Electricity Company consolidated Brush, Edison, and 16 other companies into one organization with standardized operations. By 1902, the company gained the exclusive right to distribute electricity within the city of Philadelphia. PECO, as the corporation was known, grew larger and larger throughout the 20th century thanks to a series of acquisitions and mergers. In 1996 Pennsylvania deregulated its electricity and natural gas markets separating the the retail (Purchase, Marketing and Servicing) divisions from the Utilty or Electricity Distribution Company (Poles, and Wires) businesses and the generation business (Power Plants)
Notable Events:- 1928 - United Gas Improvement (UGI) takes over PECO
- 1943 - Securities and Exchange Commission forces UGI to sell PECO
- 1967 - PECO begins nuclear power program with Peach Bottom nuclear station.
- 1996 - Pennsylvania deregulates its electricity market.
- 2000 - UniCom merges with PECO to create Exelon
Shop for PECO Electricity Suppliers
PECO Service Territory
PECO is an Electricity Distribution Company (EDC) serving an area of 2,100 square miles and provides electricity to about 1.6 million customers. About a third are residential clients.
| PECO Service Territory includes areas in these PA counties. |
|
| Bucks | Coatesville |
| Chester | Doylestown |
| Delaware | Levittown |
| Montgomery | Oxford |
| York | City of Philadelphia |
How Do I Start PECO Service?
Customers can start up service on-line in just 8-10 minutes or by contacting PECO customer serivce (1-800-494-4000). PECO remotely connects and disconnects electric service. All connects and disconnects are processed starting at 8 AM. If you request your electricity shut off you will not have power after 8 AM on the day you choose to stop service.
- What documents will I need to supply? A government photo ID or two other forms with one being a photo. The company may ask for your social security number but you are not requires to provide it.
- Will I need to know my credit rating? No, but have an idea what it is. Unpaid bills or other problems may reduce your credit rating and increase your chances of paying a deposit.
- Will I need to pay a Deposit? The utility company has the right to check your credit history to determine the need for a deposit. Other factors include whether the customer was previously disconnected or has unpaid energy bills.
- When do I find out if I must pay a deposit? The utility must notify you in writing within three business days. PA law states that deposits cannot be greater than an estimated two months usage.
- Will PECO Refund my deposit? PECO will refund the deposit after one full year of no late payments.
Understand PECO Energy Charges
PECO and other PA utilities organize electric service into separate charges as electricity supply and distribution.
- Distribution Charge - this charge is comprised of a flat customer service fee per account and the cost in cents per kWh to deliver electricity across PECO's local grid to a customer's home. All PECO customers pay the same rate no matter who supplies their electricity.
- Generation Charge - the cost in cents per kWh for electricity that the customer buys from their electricity supplier. Electricity customers who do not signed with a retail supplier receive their Generation Supply from PECO.
- Transmission Charge - this is the cost in cents per kWh for transmitting generated electricity over high tension lines to PECO's distribution grid. Because retail suppliers already factor this into their pricing, this cost is only added to the PECO Generation Supply charge.
Understand PECO Billing Options
PA PUC requires all utilities to offer 'budget billing' where annual electricity costs are averaged out over the cost of the year. This ensures that customers aren't presented with unexpectedly high bills at peak times. Call customer service at 1-800-494-4000 to discuss these and other billing options.
PECO customers should set up an on-line account to view statements, manage accounts, and pay monthly bills either on their computer or their mobile device. They can also set up bill reminders to notify them via text or email up to seven days before a bill is due.
Customers can also take advantage of many convenient ways to pay their utility bills on time. These include various kinds of on-line payments like PECO's automiatic payment option 'Power Pay'. Customers can also pay by phone, send payments by mail, and pay at partner stores in your area.
Compare PECO PTC and Supplier Rates
Pennsylvania electricity customers can choose either PECO's Price to Compare (PTC) or a retail supplier as their generation supplier at any time. While both offer competitive prices, their rates and choices are distinctly different.
| PECO PTC Rate | Retail Supplier |
| Set up years in advance. Must be approved by the Pennsylvania Public Utility Commission (PUC). |
Determines rates by shopping the best wholesale market prices. |
|
Only offers one residential rate. Rates change each Plan and rate choices include: |
|
| PECO offers rebates to most of its customers purchasing energy-efficient appliances and lighting from retailers in its service territory. |
Many suppliers offer incentive packages and rewards programs for a variety of goods and services. |
Your PECO Electricity Usage
Getting the best deal on electricity rates often means that you need to understand how you use electric. Much of that depends on your home. On average, during the course of a year, a typical Pennsylvania home uses about 864 kWh per month with usage breaking down like this:
- Half the energy consumed goes for space heating. While most PA homes rely on natural gas for heating, around 29% (roughly 1.6 million homes) use electricity.
- Approximately one third (32%) of home electricity usage goes to electronics, lighting, and appliances. Next to air conditioning, the biggest energy using appliances is the refrigerator. Nationally, one third of all homes have two or more refrigerators.
- About 15% goes for water heating. Homes with electric heat are likely to have electric water heaters.
- While air conditioning accounts for 3% of the total annual energy used, it consumes the most electricity in homes that have central AC. Half of PA households have central AC, about 30% use window units.
What Do I Need to Shop for Electricity?
- Your current electric bill -your PECO bill comes with a handy usage history that covers the past year.
- PECO's Price to Compare (PTC) - ideally, you want to find a rate that's lower than the current PTC rate.
- Your 10-digit PECO customer number - this is also on your current electric bill. You'll need this when you choose a supplier.
Who Bills Me?
Most customers receive only one monthly bill from PECO. However, in some cases you may opt for two monthly bills, one from your supplier and one from PECO. Contact your retail supplier to learn more. Note that the supplier may charge you for additional billing.
Your bill monthly shows details for your generation supply charge from your supplier. It will also show details about the distribution charge from PECO.
How to Switch PECO Electricity Suppliers
For PECO customers, switching suppliers is fast and easy. But before you start, be sure to review the contract/terms of service from your supplier to understand whether you'll have to pay a switching fee or cancellation fee. These fees can be up to $250 or even higher.
- Once you select your new electricity supplier, they will contact your old supplier and notify PECO of the change. Suppliers can take three to eight weeks to notify your utility.
- Once PECO receives notification from the new supplier, the effective switch date should occur within three business days. You can switch only once per billing month.
- PECO will contact you by mail to verify your switch.
- Your new supplier will mail you the contract summary for you to review.
- When you receive the contract summary, you have three business days to change your mind and contact the new supplier and cancel the contract without paying a penalty.
Shop and Compare PECO Electricity Suppliers
PECO Price to Compare (PTC)
The Price to Compare (PTC) is a pass-through rate reflecting the total amount that the local utility pays for generation supply. PECO's PTC is the cost of generation supply (set at auction) added to the cost of sending that supply from the generator over the bulk transmission network to your utility's local distribution grid. This cost is only added to the PECO Generation Supply charge.
| Default Generation Charges* | $0.06114 per kWh |
| Transmission Charges* | + $0.00623 per kWh |
| Total PPL PTC Rate*: | $0.06737 per kWh |
*Rates shown in this example are from May, 2020.
The PA PUC must approve both the generation supply rates and transmission rate amounts.
Retail suppliers already factor this into their pricing.
PECO Current PTC Rates:
Residential cents per kWh.
Current expiration date:
PECO's Price to Compare changes quarterly on March 1, June 1, September 1, and December 1.
PECO Price to Compare Historical Rates
Understand Your PECO Energy Bill
- A: Account profile: Quick snapshot of your account info, including contact info, and programs you're enrolled in.
- B: Account summary features a summary of the amount due and its due date.
- C: Current charges: these important amounts are listed in two places; one the account summary and on your pay stub.
- D: Usage history: Helps you see your past 13 months of usage. You can compare by year, month, and day. Includes average temperature to help you better understand your usage and estimate future bills.
- E: Contact information for emergencies, customer issues, and payment is available on both the bill and stub.
- F: Safety information that you need: What to do and who to call during a natural gas emergency. Always call 811 before you dig!
PECO Energy Bill - Page 2
Understand PECO Charges
PECO organizes electric service into separate charges for electricity supply and distribution. According to latest figures from the Energy Information Agency, a typical Pennsylvania household consumes about 864 kWh per month.
Generation Supply Charge |
||
| PECO PTC (Residential Rate) |
kWh Used | Generation PECO Charge |
| cents per kWh | 864 kWh | $ |
Different homes use different amounts of electricity. PECO distribution charges on your bill are determined by the amount of electricity consumed.
PECO Distribution Charge |
|||
| Monthly kWh Usage | Monthly Service Charge | Monthly Distribution Usage Charge 6.524 cents per kWh ($0.06524 per kWh) |
Total Distribution Charges (service charge + distribution usage charge). |
| 500 kWh | $9.97 | $32.62 | $42.59 |
| 864 kWh | $9.97 | $56.37 | $66.34 |
| 1000 kWh | $9.97 | $65.24 | $75.21 |
| 2000 kWh | $9.97 | $130.48 | $140.45 |
*May, 2020 distribution rates shown.
As you can see, distribution charges can significantly affect your electric bills. That's because your electricity supply and distribution charges are added together to produce your monthly bill total.
Currently, a typical household using 864 kWh with PECO's PTC would pay an average bill of about:
| PECO PTC Generation Supply | $ |
| PECO Distribution Charges | + $66.34 |
| Total PECO Bill: | $ |
Compare Current Competitive Rates
PECO Supplier Contract Renewal
When your electricity contract is about to end, you will receive two notifications. One will come 45 to 60 days before your contract ends. The second notice (called an 'Options Notice') must be sent via first class mail so that it arrives 30 days before the expiration date. This notice will spell out specific changes to the terms of service being proposed as well as any new pricing.
- An explanation of your options and how to exercise those options
- The date by which you must exercise one of the options
- The telephone numbers and website addresses for the Commission and the PA Office of Consumer Advocate (OCA)
Electricity Contract Expiration Options
Customers have three basic choices- renew plan with current retail supplier
- switch to new competitive retail supplier
- switch to the PECO PTC rate.
You can switch suppliers as quickly as three business days from when your new supplier notifies PECO about your switch. The notification you receive will tell you the date you can change plans without a cancellation fee.
BE CAREFUL. If you do not contact your supplier, they can automatically renew you to a variable rate plan. Suppliers are only required inform customers about the price for the first billing cycle only plus whether there are any price increase/decrease limits per month.
PECO Emergencies and Customer Service
Storm damage, equipment failure, and even simple accidents can knock out the power not just to your home but to your neighborhood and your entire community. If the power goes off suddenly, the first thing you should do is to contact PECO because they are responsible for maintaining the local power lines.
- If you home's has no power, check your home's circuit breaker box.
- Check to see if your neighbor has power.
- Call 1-800-841-414 to report an outage, emergency, or a downed power line.
- PECO Customers can track power outages at the PECO Outage Map.
PECO Customer Rights and Responsibilities
Under PA PUC rules, electricity customers have certain obligations to their utilities for electric service.
Pay your bill on time: After the bill is mailed, you have 20 days to pay it.
Late Fees: Late fees cannot be more than 1.5 percent per month or greater than 18 percent simple interest per year.
Provide access to the meter. The electric meter belongs to your utility. You must keep the meter free from obstructions.
Advance notice: Give the utility at least seven days advance notice before you move or wish to have service discontinued.
In months when the utility does not read the meter, it estimates your usage. You can call PECO to give them more frequent meter readings. In most cases, customers have a digital meter that PECO can read remotely.
Shut offs:
PECO may shut off your service for nonpayment.
- PECO must notify you in writing 10 days prior to shutting off your power.
- The notice is effective for a period of up to 60 days.
- PECO must then contact you three days prior to the shut-off date.
PECO Bill Pay Help
You must pay your bill in full every month. When demand for electricity is high in summer and winter, you should expect a higher bill. That can put extra pressure on a family when they can't pay their PECO bill.
If you lack the financial means to pay your bill, PECO can help you set up a payment plan to help you make it through a rough patch. Call 1-888-480-1533 to inquire about payment arrangements.
Pennsylvania's local utilities can also help you get in touch with a variety of assistance programs including:- Pennsylvania Customer Assistance Program (PCAP)- payment assistance for households at 150% of the federal poverty income.
- Low-Income Home Energy Assistance Program (LIHEAP) - is a federally-funded program that helps low-income households pay their home heating and cooling bills.
Call PECO's customer service on 1-800-494-4000 from 7 a.m to 7 p.m on weekdays for more information.
How to Contact PECO Energy
PECO Address: 2301 Market Street, Philadelphia, PA 19103PECO Customer Service:1-800-494-4000
Compare PECO Electricity Suppliers
