PPL Electric Utilities Electricity Rates in 2026: What Are You Actually Paying?

In 2026, there is no single number for what PPL Electric Utilities charges per kWh. PPL electricity rates come in several pieces, and together they make up the whole bill.

A PPL residential bill generally combines electricity supply, transmission, distribution, customer charges, utility riders, and taxes and other applicable charges.

And Pennsylvania customers can shop for a competitive electricity supplier. That means PPL may deliver your electricity while another company supplies it.

What Is PPL's Current Price to Compare?

For residential customers, PPL's current Price to Compare is 13.079¢/kWh for July 1 through November 30, 2026. That consists of:

• Generation supply charge — 9.753¢/kWh
• Transmission service charge — 3.326¢/kWh
• Pennsylvania Tax Adjustment Surcharge — 0.000¢/kWh

That is the benchmark to use when comparing a competitive supplier. It is not your total household electricity rate.

PPL's Price to Compare Changes Again December 1

PPL says the next scheduled Price to Compare change is December 1, 2026. That matters for any quote or proposal being built in September or October.

A homeowner should not assume 13.079¢ remains fixed indefinitely.

Why Is My Effective Rate Higher Than 13.079¢?

Because PPL also charges for distribution, customer service, energy-efficiency programs, universal service, storm-related recovery and other approved riders, plus applicable taxes.

So a homeowner whose bill works out near 20¢ or more per kWh is not necessarily paying a 20¢ generation rate. The 13.079¢ figure is only the supply and transmission comparison benchmark.

What Are PPL's Residential Delivery Charges?

PPL's standard residential Rate Schedule RS listed a January 1, 2026 distribution structure of a $15.48 monthly customer charge and a 4.968¢/kWh distribution charge.

PPL then implemented a new distribution base-rate decision effective July 1, 2026. The utility says the approved change increases the total bill of a typical residential customer using 1,000 kWh a month by approximately $6.48.

That is separate from the Price to Compare increase.

PPL Electricity Rates: Supply and Delivery Both Changed in 2026

This distinction is critical. PPL explains that Price to Compare changes reflect electricity supply costs. Distribution base-rate changes reflect the cost of delivering electricity. Those are separate regulatory processes.

So a homeowner can experience a higher supply rate and a higher delivery bill in the same year, for completely different reasons.

A Simplified 1,000-kWh Illustration

Using the current Price to Compare plus the earlier 2026 RS base distribution structure as a simple illustration:

• Supply and transmission — 1,000 × 13.079¢ = $130.79
• Distribution energy charge — 1,000 × 4.968¢ = $49.68
• Customer charge — $15.48
• Simplified subtotal — approximately $195.95

That is before current post-July delivery adjustments, riders, taxes and other account-specific charges. This is not an exact September bill quote.

How to Calculate Your Effective PPL Rate

Take your total electric charges and divide by total kWh.

For example, a $218 bill on 1,050 kWh works out to roughly 20.76¢/kWh.

That effective number is useful for understanding the home's actual cost. But when comparing electricity suppliers, use 13.079¢/kWh rather than the all-in effective rate.

Pennsylvania Supplier Choice Can Be a Real First Move

PPL customers can shop for electricity supply.

Suppose PPL's Price to Compare is 13.079¢/kWh and a competitive fixed supplier offers 11.70¢/kWh. The difference is 1.379¢/kWh. At 12,000 kWh a year, the potential supply-side difference is about $165 a year.

That can be worthwhile. And it requires no equipment purchase.

But Contract Terms Matter

A supplier with a lower advertised rate can still be a worse deal. Watch for variable pricing, introductory rates, monthly fees, early termination fees or automatic renewal at a higher rate.

PPL specifically advises customers to ask whether the offer is fixed or variable, how long the contract lasts, and whether cancellation fees apply.

The lowest rate on day one is not automatically the lowest annual cost.

PPL's Supply Price Rose Sharply Because of Capacity Costs

PPL says average residential supply costs rose approximately $20 a month over the prior year. It says higher PJM capacity prices paid to power plants were the main driver.

That is an important distinction. The recent supply increase is not simply PPL raising its profit margin — PPL says default supply costs are passed through without markup.

PPL's New Distribution Rates Began July 1

The July 2026 delivery increase is PPL's first distribution base-rate increase since 2016.

PPL also says it agreed not to increase distribution base rates again for at least two years following implementation of the July 1, 2026 rates. That gives homeowners a more stable short-term delivery baseline than they had during the rate-case process.

Large Loads Now Have a Separate Cost-Protection Structure

As part of the 2026 rate decision, PPL established a new large-load customer class aimed at major users such as data centers.

PPL says these customers will face binding long-term financial commitments and minimum 10-year requirements. The goal is to make sure large-load customers pay for the infrastructure they need. Those costs should not be unfairly shifted to existing customers.

That matters because Pennsylvania is experiencing rapid data-center and large-load growth. But the correct homeowner takeaway is not that data centers caused the whole bill increase. The more useful question is how new grid costs are being allocated.

Compare kWh Before Comparing Dollars

Suppose August 2025 was 900 kWh at $175, and August 2026 was 1,300 kWh at $255.

The bill rose $80. But usage also increased 44%. That suggests the home itself is part of the problem.

Common causes include air conditioning, a heat pump, electric water heating, an EV, a pool or occupancy changes.

Same Usage Plus a Higher Bill Is a Different Problem

Suppose August 2025 was 1,000 kWh and August 2026 was 1,020 kWh, but the bill increases materially.

Now investigate the 13.079¢ Price to Compare, your electricity supplier, the July 2026 delivery increase, utility riders and taxes.

That points much more directly toward the price of electricity.

PPL Offers Time-of-Use Pricing

PPL's current residential Time-of-Use program runs from June 1, 2025 through May 31, 2029. Current summer rates are 17.542¢/kWh on-peak and 12.140¢/kWh off-peak.

What Are PPL's Peak Hours?

For summer — June 1 through November 30 — on-peak is 2 p.m. to 6 p.m. weekdays, excluding designated holidays.

For winter — December 1 through May 31 — on-peak becomes 4 p.m. to 8 p.m. weekdays.

All other qualifying hours are off-peak.

Example: EV Charging

Suppose an EV needs 30 kWh of charging.

• Current summer on-peak — 30 × 17.542¢ = $5.26
• Current summer off-peak — 30 × 12.140¢ = $3.64

That is a difference of approximately $1.62 per charge. Repeated several times per week, it can add up.

TOU Has No Enrollment or Cancellation Fee

PPL says there are no enrollment fees and no cancellation fees for the current TOU program.

But customers using a competitive electricity supplier generally need to return to PPL default supply to participate. That means the comparison is not merely TOU versus standard PPL — it may actually be TOU versus your existing supplier contract.

Who Might Benefit From PPL TOU?

Potentially homes that can shift EV charging, the dishwasher, laundry, water heating, pool equipment and dehumidification outside the peak window.

PPL specifically recommends shifting flexible loads such as laundry, dishwashers, water heaters, pool pumps and dehumidifiers.

What About HVAC?

If summer kWh has increased significantly, HVAC may matter more than the supply-rate change.

Suppose an old air conditioner causes 400 extra kWh a month during summer. At an effective total electricity cost near 20¢/kWh, those extra kWh represent roughly $80 a month.

What About Solar?

Pennsylvania remains relatively favorable for residential net metering. PPL allows excess solar generation to accumulate as banked kWh through the PJM planning year ending May 31.

At the end of the annual period, PPL compensates remaining net excess generation at the applicable Price to Compare.

Current Annual Excess Solar Compensation Is 13.079¢/kWh

For July 1 through November 30, 2026, PPL's residential net-metering compensation rate is $0.13079/kWh. That is the same as its current residential Price to Compare.

This is much stronger export treatment than in many states where annual excess might be worth only a few cents per kWh.

TOU Net Metering Adds a Timing Layer

PPL allows most residential net-metering customers to participate in TOU. Under that setup, on-peak generation is banked at on-peak value. Off-peak generation is banked at off-peak value. Banked hours are then applied in time order to future usage.

That means solar produced during higher-value peak hours can potentially be more valuable.

Solar Plus TOU Can Work Differently Than Solar on the Standard Rate

Suppose solar exports during 2–6 p.m. and the home later needs electricity during an on-peak period. The TOU bank can preserve that time-specific value.

That makes panel orientation, load timing and battery storage more relevant than annual kWh alone.

Battery Storage Is Not Automatically Necessary

Because PPL still offers relatively favorable net-metering treatment, a battery is not automatically required simply to avoid low export compensation.

A battery may still make sense for outage backup, TOU shifting, resilience and solar self-consumption. But those benefits should be modeled separately from the solar array.

Four PPL Customers Can Have the Same $250 Bill and Need Different Solutions

Home A. Competitive supplier charging 16¢/kWh. Best first move: change supplier.

Home B. Summer kWh climbed 40% because of an old air conditioner. Best first move: HVAC diagnosis.

Home C. An EV that can charge almost entirely outside 2–6 p.m. Best investigation: PPL TOU.

Home D. Efficient home with stable high usage and a good roof. Best next move may be solar.

The Best Order for a PPL Customer

1. Identify your electricity supplier — PPL default supply or a competitive supplier.
2. Compare the supply rate against 13.079¢/kWh, the current benchmark through November 30, 2026.
3. Compare kWh year over year to determine whether household usage changed.
4. Diagnose HVAC and efficiency, especially if summer consumption increased.
5. Review TOU, particularly for EVs and flexible loads.
6. Evaluate solar using PPL's current kWh banking and annual excess-compensation rules.
7. Evaluate battery separately for backup and TOU optimization.
8. Normalize the July 2026 delivery increase. Do not confuse PPL's distribution-rate change with the separate supply Price to Compare.

The Ashborn Approach

Before recommending equipment, Ashborn Partners looks at the PPL Price to Compare, your competitive supplier, past kWh use, current effective rate and distribution changes. We also review TOU potential, HVAC, insulation, solar, net-metering treatment and battery storage.

PPL Electric Utilities rates, supplier offers and tariffs can change. As of September 4, 2026, PPL's residential Price to Compare is 13.079¢/kWh. It runs through November 30, with a 9.753¢ generation charge and a 3.326¢ transmission charge. Current residential TOU pricing is 17.542¢/kWh on-peak and 12.140¢/kWh off-peak. PPL's July 1, 2026 distribution-rate change is separate from these supply rates. It was expected to increase a representative 1,000-kWh residential bill by approximately $6.48 per month.