Pennsylvania Dispensary Energy Costs: Small-Commercial Classes, PTC Benchmarks, and EGS Choice

What a dispensary looks like on a Pennsylvania bill

A retail cannabis store draws power for display and sales-floor lighting, HVAC that fights humidity in summer and heat loss in winter, security cameras and access control, point-of-sale systems, and refrigerated storage for certain product forms. None of that looks like a grow, and most Pennsylvania dispensaries never reach the demand-metered classes that dominate grower/processor conversations.

Act 16 issued an initial 50 dispensary permits, each allowing up to three locations [pa-doh-dispensaries]. The Department of Health publishes operational dispensaries as a downloadable list rather than a headline count [pa-doh-dispensaries]. A permit holder running two stores in Montgomery County and one in Lancaster County has three small-commercial meters, three Price to Compare benchmarks, and three enrollment opportunities even if each store uses only 6,000 to 10,000 kWh a month.

Small-commercial classes by utility

Utility	Typical dispensary class	Demand charge?	Default supply
PECO	Rate GS (General Service, secondary voltage)	Per-kW on billing demand for larger GS; most stores stay below threshold [peco-rates-tariffs]	Fixed Generation Supply Adjustment reset June 1 and December 1 at or below 100 kW [peco-rates-tariffs]
PPL Electric	GS-1 (small general service)	No demand charge [pa-papowerswitch]	Fixed PTC reset semiannually [pa-papowerswitch]
Duquesne Light	GS (small) or GM under 25 kW; GM 25 to 200 kW [duquesne-business-rates]	GM may carry demand elements at higher demand	Default Service Supply rider; class-average PTCs published for GS, GM, GMH [duquesne-business-rates]

The utility rate classes page explains how a store crosses from energy-only billing to demand billing. In Pennsylvania the threshold varies by EDC, commonly somewhere between 25 kW and 100 kW depending on the schedule [pa-papowerswitch]. A flagship dispensary with extensive refrigerated vaults and commercial kitchen equipment can approach that line; a standard sales floor usually does not.

Load components in a humid continental climate

Pennsylvania averages 5,701 heating degree days and 706 cooling degree days [noaa-cag-pennsylvania]. A dispensary in the southeast runs HVAC harder in both seasons than a store in the same square footage in a milder state. Summer dew points in the upper 60s and low 70s F from June through August mean the AC is removing latent load, not just sensible heat [noaa-cag-pennsylvania]. Winter envelope loss keeps heat running from October through April.

Assume a 2,500 square foot store:

Load	Assumption	Monthly kWh
Sales floor and display lighting	8 kW, 12 hours a day	2,880
HVAC	6 kW average	4,380
Security, POS, refrigeration	2 kW continuous	1,440
Total		8,700

That profile peaks well under 25 kW unless several large HVAC compressors start at once. The store stays on PPL GS-1 or Duquesne GS, or PECO GS without hitting the larger-load ratchet [pa-papowerswitch] [peco-rates-tariffs] [duquesne-business-rates].

A worked monthly cost

At the EIA June 2026 Pennsylvania commercial average of 13.33 cents per kWh, 8,700 kWh costs about $1,160 a month in energy [eia-epm-5-6-a]. Delivery charges add a customer charge and per-kWh distribution lines that the EDC sets by tariff. Supply is the line a PUC-licensed EGS can compete on.

For a PECO GS account at or below 100 kW, default generation is a fixed Generation Supply Adjustment reset June 1 and December 1 [peco-rates-tariffs]. The Price to Compare for that class is the benchmark: generation plus transmission on default service [pa-puc-retail-markets]. An EGS offer below the PTC on the same term saves money on the supply line without changing delivery. The understanding your bill page shows where to find each component.

Duquesne's Default Service Supply rider can adjust up to four times a year, and class-average PTCs are published for GS, GM, and GMH [duquesne-business-rates]. A Pittsburgh store should compare against the GM or GS figure on the bill, not a statewide average.

Why a small load still benefits from supply choice

Pennsylvania commercial power averages 13.33 cents per kWh against a U.S. average of 14.19 cents [eia-epm-5-6-a]. Default service is not always the cheapest supply even in a below-average state, because Act 129 requires EDCs to procure default service as a prudent mix of spot, short-term, and long-term supply that resets on a calendar [pa-puc-electricity]. PECO resets June 1 and December 1 [peco-rates-tariffs]. Duquesne can reset up to four times a year [duquesne-business-rates]. An EGS fixed contract locks the supply price across those resets.

For a store using 8,700 kWh a month, one cent per kWh on supply is about $87 a month, or roughly $1,040 a year. That is worth a phone call even when the absolute dollars are smaller than a grower/processor bill.

Multi-location dispensary permit holders

Up to three locations per permit means a holder may have meters in different counties and different EDC territories [pa-doh-dispensaries]. PECO serves Philadelphia and the five-county southeast [peco-rates-tariffs]. PPL serves 29 counties including Lancaster and the Lehigh Valley [pa-papowerswitch]. FirstEnergy legacy districts cover Reading, Erie, and much of western Pennsylvania [pa-papowerswitch]. Each meter enrolls separately with an EGS, and each has its own PTC. The Pennsylvania multi-site page covers portfolio procurement when grows and stores share one corporate entity.

Landlord meter and buildout traps

A new dispensary in a leased strip center often opens on the landlord's master meter. Supply choice requires the account to be in the dispensary licensee's name. Plan the account transfer before buildout finishes so the first full month of operation is already on a competitive supply contract rather than default service that resets on the EDC calendar.

Security and refrigeration upgrades during tenant improvement can push peak demand. If refrigerated vault compressors and HVAC start together on a hot August afternoon, a store that was designed for GS-1 can brush against a demand threshold. Size staged startup or specify VFD compressors during design.

Incentives for retail upgrades

PECO's Act 129 Phase V program includes a small-business direct-install track and prescriptive LED lighting and controls incentives [peco-biz-savings]. Duquesne Light's business program covers lighting and HVAC [duquesne-business-rates]. A LED sales-floor retrofit with controls can reduce kWh and improve display quality at the same time. Confirm Phase V measure lists before ordering fixtures.

The New Jersey dispensary page and the Connecticut dispensary page cover retail load in neighboring markets. The PECO switch case study walks through a southeastern Pennsylvania store example, and the switching guide covers enrollment step by step.

Three locations per dispensary permit

Act 16 allows up to three locations per dispensary permit [pa-doh-dispensaries]. Each storefront is a separate EDC account, often on GS Small without demand metering [pa-papowerswitch]. Aggregate chain kWh for EGS RFPs but compare PTC benchmarks account by account because commercial PTCs differ by rate class [pa-puc-retail-markets]. PECO's fixed PTC applies to GS customers at or below 100 kW; larger accounts face hourly default [peco-rates-tariffs].

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-doh-dispensaries]. Facility managers should reconcile billing demand to interval peaks monthly and escalate discrepancies before paying disputed invoices [pa-puc-retail-markets]. Corporate finance should map utility COGS to cultivation, processing, or retail cost centers consistently across sites [pa-papowerswitch]. 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-doh-dispensaries]. Facility managers should reconcile billing demand to interval peaks monthly and escalate discrepancies before paying disputed invoices [pa-puc-retail-markets]. Corporate finance should map utility COGS to cultivation, processing, or retail cost centers consistently across sites [pa-papowerswitch]. 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-doh-dispensaries]. Facility managers should reconcile billing demand to interval peaks monthly and escalate discrepancies before paying disputed invoices [pa-puc-retail-markets]. Corporate finance should map utility COGS to cultivation, processing, or retail cost centers consistently across sites [pa-papowerswitch]. 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].