PUC Urges Electricity Customers To Start Shopping, Conserve Energy To Help Avoid Impact Of June 1 Rate Increases Of Between 5% and 16% On Most Electric Bills

On May 21, the Public Utility Commission warned consumers new default electric service prices taking effect on June 1 will increase most residential electric bills between 5% and 16%.

To help blunt the impact of these price increases, the PUC is urging consumers to shop for alternative electricity suppliers with lower prices-- if they can find them with rising wholesale prices of electricity-- and proactively take steps to reduce their energy use.

Here are the default cents/kWh electric rates coming June 1 for customers who do not shop for their electricity--

-- Citizens’ Electric:  8.695 to 11.416 - +31%

-- Duquesne Light: 10.85 to 12.11 (estimated) - +11.6%

-- Met-Ed: 11.011 to 11.903 - +8.1%

-- PECO: 9.239 to 10.40 - +12.6%

-- Penelec: 10.474 to 11.003 - +5.1%

-- Penn Power: 11.168 to 11.857 - +6.2

-- Pike County: 10.5758 to 10.193 (estimated) - -3.6%

-- PPL: 10.771 to 12.490 - +16%

-- UGI: 10.637 to 11.471 - +7.8%

-- Wellsboro Electric: 9.144 to 12.809 - +40.1%

-- West Penn Power: 9.481 to 10.317 - +8.8%

Every June 1 and December 1, electric distribution companies (EDCs) in Pennsylvania adjust their “Price to Compare” (PTC) — the cost per kilowatt-hour (kWh) charged to customers who have not selected a competitive supplier. 

These prices are based on wholesale market rates and can significantly impact monthly bills.

Electricity Shopping

While shopping for a competitive supplier is one option, rising wholesale energy prices have reduced the number of available offers below the utility default rate. That makes efficiency and conservation more important than ever.

[Note: Multiple sources have blamed rising power demands from A.I. data centers and higher natural gas prices for driving up the cost of electricity for consumers, especially in the coming summer months.  Read more here.

[Pennsylvania is also overreliant on natural gas-fired power plants to generate electricity-- 59% of the power generated here comes from natural gas plants.  Read more here.]

Visit www.PAPowerSwitch.com for tools, tips, and rate comparisons for electricity and www.PAGasSwitch.com for natural gas suppliers [because gas prices are rising too].

Summer Energy Saving Tips

The PUC encourages consumers to build a “Summer Energy Checklist” — and check off ways to reduce usage and control costs.

Simple steps that can have a noticeable impact on energy usage and utility bills include:

-- Maintain or upgrade your HVAC system – Clean filters, check ventilation, and schedule a tune-up.

-- Seal windows and doors – Prevent cool air from escaping and hot air from entering.

-- Set your thermostat wisely – Consider a programmable or smart thermostat.

-- Unplug unused electronics and turn off lights when not in use.

-- Use fans strategically – Ceiling fans can help you feel cooler without adjusting the thermostat.

-- Wash full loads of laundry and dishes and avoid on-peak hours (generally between 6pm-8pm on hot summer days), if possible.

-- Take shorter showers and lower your water heater temperature to 120 degrees.

-- Look for ENERGY STAR appliances and efficient lighting options.

-- Check your past bills to understand your usage trends.

More energy-saving tips are available at www.PAPowerSwitch.com, along with tools to help understand and manage electricity costs.

Click Here for the PUC announcement.

Resource Links - Electric Grid:

-- Rise Of The Machines:  Senate, House Members Express Concern That Demand For Power To Run Computers Is Impacting The Price And Availability Of Electricity For ‘Ordinary People’  [PaEN] 

-- PUC Hearing On Data Center Growth Impacts Finds 30-40% Of Utility Demand Could Be From Data Centers; Concerns About Stranded Costs; Major Commitments To Net-Zero Carbon Emissions Energy Use

-- PUC Sets June Hearings On Proposed 11.4% Natural Gas Rate Increase By Columbia Gas  [PaEN]

-- PennLive: PPL Customers Will See Another Rate Increase June 1 - 16% [Due To Regional Electric Market Issues]

-- US EIA: US Natural Gas Prices Double Last Year Due To LNG Exports, Demand Driving Electricity Prices Higher This Summer  [PaEN]

-- Pennsylvania’s Electric Grid Is Dependent On One Fuel To Generate 59% Of Our Electricity; Market Moving To Renewables + Storage  [PaEN]

-- PA Ranks 49th In US For Renewable Energy Growth; Delays In Adding Clean Energy To The Grid Will Cost Electric Ratepayers Billions  [PaEN] 

-- PUC House Budget Hearing: We Aren’t Going To Build Our Way Out Of Electric Generation Shortfalls On PJM Grid; We Need To Diversify Our Generation Sources   [PaEN]

-- 30 Stakeholder Comments Received By PUC On Adequacy Of Electricity Supplies In Pennsylvania; Increasing Natural Gas Power Plant Reliability To 90-95% Would Mean No Imminent Capacity Problem  [PaEN]

-- New Report: Fixing PJM’s Broken Electric Generation Approval Process Can Lower Energy Costs, Create Jobs Across The Mid-Atlantic  [PaEN] 

-- PUC Invites Stakeholder Comments On The Issue Of The Adequacy Of Electricity Supplies In Pennsylvania  [Background On Issue]  [PaEN]

-- PJM Interconnection: 51 Generation Projects, 9.3 GW To Move Forward To Address Near-Term Electricity Demand Growth-- 39 Upgrades, 12 New Construction  [PaEN] 

-- PJM Releases List Of 51 Fast Tracked Power Projects To Provide 9.3 GW Of Power-- 7 In PA With Power Potential Of 1.2 GW  [PaEN]

-- PJM Electricity Auction Price 9 Times Higher Than Previous Auction-- $269.92/MW-Day For 2025/26 Delivery Compared To $28.92/MW-Day In 2024-25; Extreme Weather Risk Big Factor  [PaEN]

-- North American Electric Reliability Corp. Files Proposed Cold Weather Standard To Improve Reliability For Natural Gas-fired, Other Electric Generators  [PaEN]

-- North American Electric Reliability Corp.: Record Load Growth From Data Centers, High Temperatures Expected To Strain Electric Grid This Summer [PaEN]  

-- Federal Energy Regulatory Commission Summer Electricity Assessment Sees Adequate Generating Resources To Meet Normal Operating Conditions; Higher Natural Gas Prices Driving Electricity Prices Higher  [PaEN] 

PA Oil & Gas Industry Public Notice Dashboards:

-- PA Oil & Gas Weekly Compliance Dashboard - May 17 to 23 -- Failure To Comply With Shale Well Plugging Order; 28 Months Without 3 Conventional Well Cleanups; 206 Abandoned Conventional Wells; Road Dumping Continues  [PaEN] 

-- Environmental Hearing Board Agrees There Is ‘Acute’ Danger In CNX Misusing A Deposition In An Appeal Before The Board To ‘Punish’ An Environmental Advocate For Her Advocacy Against CNX  [PaEN]

-- Late Night Dumping II:  Conventional Oil & Gas Wastewater Dumping Continues On Roads, This Time With Bigger Trucks; New Research On Harmful Wastewater Impacts  [PaEN] 

-- PA American Water Begins Construction Of Pipeline To Provide Replacement Water For Dimock Township Residents Who Had Wells Contaminated By Shale Gas Drilling 20 Years Ago In Susquehanna County  [PaEN]  

-- PA Oil & Gas Industrial Facilities: Permit Notices, Opportunities To Comment - May 24 [PaEN] 

-- DEP Posted 95 Pages Of Permit-Related Notices In May 24 PA Bulletin  [PaEN]  

Related Articles This Week:

-- Evangelical Environmental Network: US House-Passed Budget Bill Raises Costs, Increases Health Risks; Eliminates PA’s MERP Conventional Oil & Gas Well Plugging Funding  [PaEN]

-- House Committee Told PA Needs An Energy Policy, Doing Nothing Means We Are Going To Run Out Of Power; Overreliance On One Fuel-- Gas-- Is Raising Electricity Prices [PaEN]  

-- PUC Urges Electricity Customers To Start Shopping, Conserve Energy To Help Avoid Impact Of June 1 Rate Increases Of Between 5% and 16% On Most Electric Bills  [PaEN]

-- PUC To Investigate Proposed 18.4% Rate + 37.5% Customer Charge Increase By Wellsboro Electric; 18% Gas Increase + 13.4% Customer Charge Increase For Valley Energy Gas; 11% Rate + 26% Customer Charge Increase For Citizens' Electric  [PaEN] 

-- Energy Future PA Co-Chairs: Federal Budget Proposal That Eliminates Clean Energy Tax Credits Puts Billions In Private Investment, Thousands Of Jobs At Risk In PA  [PaEN] 

NewsClips:

-- Inquirer Guest Essay: 9 In 10 Pennsylvanians Support Stronger Health Protection From Oil & Gas Fracking - By Joanne Kilgour, Ohio River Valley Institute,  and Alison Steele, Environmental Health Project  [PDF of Article]

-- Post-Gazette Guest Essay: Pennsylvania’s Natural Gas Industry Needs More And Better Regulation - By Rep. Greg Vitali (D-Delaware) Majority Chair House Environmental & Natural Resource Protection Committee

-- City & State PA Guest Essay: Pennsylvania Must Energize Efforts To Regulate Its Oil And Gas Industry - By By Rep. Greg Vitali (D-Delaware) Majority Chair House Environmental & Natural Resource Protection Committee

-- Kleinman Center For Energy Policy Blog: Fact-Free US Energy Policy Portends Long-Term Damage To The US - By John Quigley

-- WITF The Spark: Legal Battle Over Carbon Pollution Cap Could Shape Pennsylvania’s Energy Future 

-- The Citizens Voice Letter: Plan To Extract Lithium From OIl & Gas Wastewater Without A Full Accounting Of Its Hazards Is Not A Solution - By Tonyehn Verkitus, Physicians For Social Responsibility-PA  [PDF of Article]

-- The Conversation Guest Essay: Why Your Electricity Bill Is So High And What Pennsylvania Is Doing About It - By Hannah Wiseman and Seth Blumsack From Penn State University  [Data Center Demand, Rising Fuel Costs] 

-- Utility Dive Guest Essay: Is Your Electric Bill Too High?  Thank LNG Gas Exports - By Lt.. General Russel L. Honore (Retired)  [Stop Selling LNG To Our Competitors]

-- PA Capital-Star: Lawmakers Hear Testimony On Meeting PA Power Demand: ‘Huge Amount Of Growth’

-- WHYY - Susan Phillips: With Soaring Summer Temps Ahead, A.I. Data Centers Could Strain Electricity Supplies In The Delaware Valley

-- Pittsburgh Business Times: TECfusions Unveils Plans For Massive Data Center, A.I. Campus, Up To 3 Gigawatt Natural Gas Power Plants At Former Alcoa Site In Westmoreland County  [PDF of Article]  

-- The Center Square: Electric Transmission Upgrades At Crucial Turning Point 

-- LancasterOnline: How PPL, Met-Ed Customers May Be Able To Duck June 1 Electricity Price Hikes

-- Observer-Reporter: Southwest PA Schools Among Those To Receive Funding To Install Solar Panels

-- The Citizens Voice: Hanover Area School District Gets $400,000 Grant For Solar Energy Facility

-- Tribune-Democrat: Cambria County Commissioners Take Steps Toward Solar Energy Project At Prison

-- Post-Gazette Editorial: The Future Is Nuclear, The US, Pittsburgh Must Be Ready

-- WESA: PA Lawmakers Question Pittsburgh-Area Utilities On April 20 Storm Response, Power Outages

-- Wilkes-Barre Times Leader Guest Essay: New England Needs PA’s Natural Gas - Dems Won’t Let Them Have It - By Jessica Towhey, Communications Strategist

-- Bloomberg: New York’s Natural Gas Pipeline For Offshore Wind Farm Bargain Will  Move The Fight To Massachusetts

-- Utility Dive: ICF Consulting Sees 25% Electricity Load Growth By 2030 Driving Up To 40% Increase In Residential Electricity Rates

-- Utility Dive: US House Republican Budget ‘Worse Than Feared’ For Clean Energy - Analysts 

-- Bloomberg: New Fortress LNG Exporter Disqualified From Puerto Rico Auction; Company Value Has Fallen 80% This Year  [Company Pursuing LNG Projects In PA]

-- Physicians For Social Responsibility-Colorado, FracTracker: Oil & Gas Fracking Chemicals Still Secret In Colorado, Little Compliance With 2022 Law Designed To Prevent Toxic Exposures

-- The Guardian: Colorado Oil & Gas Drilling Companies Not Complying With Fracking Chemicals Disclosure Law, Ban On Use Of PFAS ‘Forever Chemicals’

-- US DOE Releases Response To Comments On 2024 LNG Gas Export Study Saying No Discernible Impact On Climate Emissions, Minimizing Impacts On Prices [DOE Said The Opposite In December ] 

-- The Hill: US DOE Now Says LNG Gas Export Environmental Impacts ‘Outside’ Its Authority

-- Reuters: US Natural Gas Prices Fall Into Negative Territory In Texas Due To Pipeline Maintenance

[Posted: May 21, 2025]  PA Environment Digest