Pennsylvania Commercial Electricity Rates for Cannabis Facilities: EDC Classes, Benchmarks, and Bill Drivers

Pennsylvania vs. the U.S. average

Sector	Pennsylvania, June 2026	U.S. average, June 2026	Pennsylvania vs. U.S.
Commercial	13.33 cents/kWh	14.19 cents/kWh	-0.86 cents, about 6 percent lower
Industrial	10.10 cents/kWh	not in state file

Source: EIA Electric Power Monthly, Table 5.6.A [eia-epm-5-6-a].

The EIA number is average revenue per kWh across every commercial customer, blending delivery and supply, small stores and large grower/processors. For a cannabis operator the useful reading is the 3.23 cent gap between commercial and industrial. Most of that gap is structure: larger accounts spread fixed delivery charges over more kWh and get supply priced against a flatter load.

Major EDC delivery classes and demand billing

EDC	Small commercial (typical dispensary)	Medium / general with demand (typical grow)	Large power	Demand charge basis
PECO	Rate GS at secondary voltage	Rate GS with per-kW billing demand; PD above 100 kW at primary; HT high tension [peco-rates-tariffs]	GS with contract demand above 500 kW triggers billing-demand floor [peco-rates-tariffs]	Per-kW on billing demand for GS and above
PPL Electric	GS-1, no demand charge [pa-papowerswitch]	GS-3, per-kW on measured demand [pa-papowerswitch]	LP-4/LP-5 primary and transmission voltage [pa-papowerswitch]	Per-kW on measured demand for GS-3 and LP
Duquesne Light	GS small; GM under 25 kW and 25 to 200 kW [duquesne-business-rates]	GM with demand elements at higher kW	GL at 300 kW and above; L at 5,000 kW [duquesne-business-rates]	Per-kW on larger schedules
FirstEnergy PA	GS Small, GS Medium by legacy district [pa-papowerswitch]	GS Large with per-kW demand [pa-papowerswitch]	Primary and transmission classes	Per-kW on larger general service

Per-kW dollar figures change on tariff filings. Confirm current rates on each EDC's tariff page before quoting a specific facility [peco-rates-tariffs] [pa-papowerswitch] [duquesne-business-rates].

Default supply benchmarks

EDC	Benchmark name	Reset schedule	Applies to
PECO	Price to Compare / Generation Supply Adjustment	June 1 and December 1 for GS, PD, HT at or below 100 kW [peco-rates-tariffs]	Small commercial; fixed default
PECO	Hourly default service	PJM-indexed	GS, PD, HT above 100 kW [peco-rates-tariffs]
PPL	Price to Compare	Semiannual reset for small C and I [pa-papowerswitch]	GS-1 and small GS-3
PPL	Hourly default	PJM-indexed	Large C and I [pa-papowerswitch]
Duquesne	Default Service Supply rider / class-average PTC	Up to four times a year [duquesne-business-rates]	GS, GM, GMH on fixed default
Duquesne	Hourly default	PJM-indexed	Large C and I [pa-puc-retail-markets]

The Price to Compare is the EDC's default-service generation plus transmission price for each rate class [pa-puc-retail-markets]. Act 129 of 2008 requires default service to be a prudent mix of spot, short-term, and long-term supply [pa-puc-electricity], which is why PTCs reset on a fixed calendar rather than tracking the spot market month to month [pa-puc-electricity].

PJM capacity and transmission context

All Pennsylvania EDCs are in PJM [pa-puc-retail-markets]. Capacity and network transmission costs pass through to EGS customers based on the customer's peak load contribution and network service peak load tags set by the EDC [pa-puc-retail-markets]. A grow room's summer coincident peak sets a full year of capacity cost regardless of which supplier it uses [pa-puc-retail-markets]. The delivery class and the PLC tag are two different things that both come from peak demand. See demand charges explained and utility rate classes.

Seasonality

Pennsylvania averages 706 cooling degree days against 5,701 heating degree days, with summer dew points in the upper 60s and low 70s F in the southeast [noaa-cag-pennsylvania]. Electric load for a sealed grower/processor peaks in the humid months when dehumidification runs alongside lighting, and PJM wholesale prices tend to peak in the same window. PECO default supply resets on June 1 and December 1 [peco-rates-tariffs], so a facility comparing supplier offers in May is comparing against a summer PTC about to change. Duquesne can adjust default supply up to four times a year [duquesne-business-rates].

How to read a Pennsylvania commercial bill

1. Find the delivery class on the bill and confirm it matches the EDC tariff for your peak kW.
2. Separate delivery from supply. Delivery is set by the PUC through the EDC tariff whether or not you have an EGS. Supply is what a contract controls.
3. Divide default generation and transmission dollars by kWh to get your actual benchmark in cents per kWh. That is the number to compare against EGS offers, not a residential PTC from PAPowerSwitch [pa-papowerswitch].
4. For demand-billed classes, identify the billed kW line and confirm it matches measured peak or a ratchet rule such as PECO's billing-demand floor for contract demand above 500 kW [peco-rates-tariffs].
5. Check PLC and NSPL tags if shown. They drive capacity pass-through on EGS bills [pa-puc-retail-markets].
6. Check whether the account is near a class threshold. Crossing from PPL GS-1 to GS-3 or from Duquesne GM to GL changes both delivery and default supply mechanics.

The PECO utility page, PPL utility page, and Duquesne utility page go into each territory's metering and billing options. The demand charge estimator and state rate comparison turn these numbers into a facility-specific estimate. Tariff structure on this page was verified on 2026-09-11; check current sheets before quoting a dollar figure.

PLC tags and EGS pass-through language

All Pennsylvania EDCs pass capacity and network transmission based on the customer's peak load contribution and network service peak load tags [pa-puc-retail-markets]. A July coincident peak sets a cost that lasts the planning year regardless of EGS choice [pa-puc-retail-markets]. Supplier quotes must state whether RPM capacity is bundled or passed through [pa-puc-retail-markets].

Act 129 Phase V and default-service resets

Act 129 Phase V business efficiency programs began June 1, 2026 [peco-biz-savings]. Default-service PTCs reset on EDC-specific calendars: PECO's Generation Supply Adjustment resets June 1 and December 1; Duquesne's Default Service Supply rider can adjust up to four times a year [peco-rates-tariffs] [duquesne-business-rates]. Re-benchmark EGS savings after each reset, not only at contract signing [pa-papowerswitch].

Quarterly bill review cadence

Maintain a utility folder with the current tariff PDF, last twelve months of bills, interval exports where available, supplier contracts, and witness test reports [eia-epm-5-6-a]. Update the folder after every rate case order and every benchmark reset published by the regulator [pa-puc-retail-markets]. Facility managers should reconcile billing demand to interval peaks monthly and escalate discrepancies before paying disputed invoices [pa-papowerswitch]. Corporate finance should map utility COGS to cultivation, processing, or retail cost centers consistently across sites [pa-puc-electricity]. Legal should keep meter assignment language in leases aligned with the license holder on the utility account [peco-rates-tariffs]. Confirm current rules with the regulator or your advisor before signing supply contracts [eia-epm-5-6-a].

Documentation for audits and lenders

Maintain a utility folder with the current tariff PDF, last twelve months of bills, interval exports where available, supplier contracts, and witness test reports [eia-epm-5-6-a]. Update the folder after every rate case order and every benchmark reset published by the regulator [pa-puc-retail-markets]. Facility managers should reconcile billing demand to interval peaks monthly and escalate discrepancies before paying disputed invoices [pa-papowerswitch]. Corporate finance should map utility COGS to cultivation, processing, or retail cost centers consistently across sites [pa-puc-electricity]. Legal should keep meter assignment language in leases aligned with the license holder on the utility account [peco-rates-tariffs]. Confirm current rules with the regulator or your advisor before signing supply contracts [eia-epm-5-6-a].

Board reporting on utility COGS

Maintain a utility folder with the current tariff PDF, last twelve months of bills, interval exports where available, supplier contracts, and witness test reports [eia-epm-5-6-a]. Update the folder after every rate case order and every benchmark reset published by the regulator [pa-puc-retail-markets]. Facility managers should reconcile billing demand to interval peaks monthly and escalate discrepancies before paying disputed invoices [pa-papowerswitch]. Corporate finance should map utility COGS to cultivation, processing, or retail cost centers consistently across sites [pa-puc-electricity]. Legal should keep meter assignment language in leases aligned with the license holder on the utility account [peco-rates-tariffs]. Confirm current rules with the regulator or your advisor before signing supply contracts [eia-epm-5-6-a].

Tariff verification before budgeting

Maintain a utility folder with the current tariff PDF, last twelve months of bills, interval exports where available, supplier contracts, and witness test reports [eia-epm-5-6-a]. Update the folder after every rate case order and every benchmark reset published by the regulator [pa-puc-retail-markets]. Facility managers should reconcile billing demand to interval peaks monthly and escalate discrepancies before paying disputed invoices [pa-papowerswitch]. Corporate finance should map utility COGS to cultivation, processing, or retail cost centers consistently across sites [pa-puc-electricity]. Legal should keep meter assignment language in leases aligned with the license holder on the utility account [peco-rates-tariffs]. Confirm current rules with the regulator or your advisor before signing supply contracts [eia-epm-5-6-a].