News Releases

PPL Electric Utilities has filed its generation rates and price to compare for the three months beginning Dec. 1 with the Pennsylvania Public Utility Commission. The new rates will be lower for residential and small-commercial customers on the utility’s default supply service.

The updated rates reflect recent power supply costs and projected market costs for the next three months. They also reflect the reconciliation of collections from customers with the company’s power supply costs so far this year.

New prices to compare

The new price to compare for residential customers will be 7.769 cents per kilowatt-hour, down from 8.411 cents per kilowatt-hour currently.

This price applies to residential customers who have not chosen an alternative supplier and receive “default” supply service from PPL Electric. The price to compare includes generation and transmission service, which make up 65 to 70 percent of the typical residential monthly bill. It does not include distribution charges, which apply to all customers and cover the company’s costs to deliver power and provide customer service.

For small-business customers, the default rate and price to compare will be 6.775 cents per kilowatt-hour, compared with 10.184 cents per kilowatt-hour currently.

A full list of PPL Electric Utilities’ new rates for all rate classes can be found at www.pplelectric.com/choice.

PPL Electric Utilities adjusts its generation rates and price to compare for shopping purposes every three months to reflect the cost of power purchases and adjustments based on customer use in the prior period. The generation rate for large industrial customers is based on hourly market prices. The company’s rates change March 1, June 1, Sept. 1 and Dec. 1 each year, similar to other utilities in Pennsylvania.

Customer choice

Customers of all types may be able to save on power supply costs by shopping. Offers from alternative suppliers can be compared with PPL Electric Utilities’ price to compare. A list of state-licensed suppliers and their offer prices are available from the PUC’s website, www.papowerswitch.com. More than 30 suppliers are currently serving the residential market.

More than 588,000 PPL Electric Utilities customers, or 42 percent of customers, are now obtaining their power from other suppliers. That’s up from about 500,000 customers who had switched at the start of this year. More than 77 percent of the energy delivered by PPL Electric now comes from alternative suppliers, including almost all power used by large commercial and industrial customers.

While generation rates can fluctuate with the power market, PPL Electric Utilities said its customers can expect the same level of customer service and reliability whether they switch to an alternative supplier or remain with the utility. The generation portion of a customer’s bill is passed along to various suppliers under contracts with PPL Electric Utilities. The utility does not receive any profit on the generation portion of a customer bills, and its primary focus is on electric delivery, billing and customer service. 

“We encourage our customers to review all offers available to them, consider the terms and see what best suits their needs,” said David G. DeCampli, president of PPL Electric Utilities. “We are also committed to serving as an adviser and source of information to help customers manage their electricity use.”

Help with utility costs

PPL Electric urges customers who may be struggling with utility costs this winter to seek help. Applications are now open for the federal Low Income Heating Energy Assistance Program, or LIHEAP, which helps individuals and families pay their heating bills with grants that do not need to be repaid. Eligibility is based on income and household size.

Information about LIHEAP is available on the company’s website, which also lists county agencies that can assist in processing applications. Individuals also can apply online at www.compass.state.pa.us.

PPL Electric Utilities, a subsidiary of PPL Corporation (NYSE: PPL), provides electric delivery services to about 1.4 million customers in Pennsylvania and has consistently ranked among the best companies for customer service in the United States. More information is available at www.pplelectric.com.