PPL Electric Complete Guide to Allentown and Central PA Rates, Service Area, and Energy Choice

PPL Electric Utilities is a major electric distribution company serving approximately 1.5 million homes and businesses across eastern and central Pennsylvania. Key facts about PPL Electric:

• Headquarters: Allentown, PA
• Parent company: PPL Corporation
• Service area: 29 counties in eastern and central PA
• Infrastructure: 50,600 miles of power lines
• History: Serving Pennsylvania communities for over a century

How PPL Electric works: PPL Electric delivers electricity but does not generate power—customers receive supply either through PPL's default service or from competitive electricity suppliers of their choice. Regulation: Pennsylvania Public Utility Commission (PA PUC) oversight 💡 Energy choice: PPL participates in Pennsylvania's electricity choice program, allowing customers to choose their generation supplier while PPL maintains grid infrastructure.

PPL Electric's service territory spans 29 counties across eastern and central Pennsylvania. Major cities served:

• Lehigh Valley: Allentown, Bethlehem, Easton
• Central PA: Lancaster, Harrisburg
• Northeast PA: Scranton, Wilkes-Barre, Hazleton

Geographic coverage:

• East: New Jersey border
• West: Beyond Harrisburg
• North: New York border
• South: Maryland border

Key counties: Lehigh, Northampton, Lancaster, Berks, Schuylkill, Luzerne, Lackawanna, Lebanon, and Dauphin. Community diversity: From historic cities like Lancaster to rural agricultural areas and growing Lehigh Valley suburbs. 💡 Energy choice access: All residential customers can compare supplier offers through PAPowerSwitch.com.

The PPL Electric Price to Compare (PTC) represents the generation and transmission portion of your bill when using PPL's default supply service. Current rate (December 2025):

• Residential PTC: 12.95 cents per kWh
• Effective through May 31, 2026

Recent rate history:

• Before Dec 2024: 10.04¢/kWh
• December 2024: 10.77¢/kWh
• June 2025: 12.49¢/kWh
• December 2025: 12.95¢/kWh

Rate update schedule: Twice yearly on June 1 and December 1 What the PTC includes:

• Generation supply costs
• Transmission charges
• Regulatory compliance costs

💡 To save: Look for supplier rates below the current PTC for immediate savings.

PPL Electric customers experienced significant rate increases in 2024-2025, with the Price to Compare rising approximately 16% in June 2025 alone. The primary driver: PJM Capacity Market Sets prices for ensuring adequate power plant availability. What happened in July 2024:

• PJM capacity auction prices increased 833%
• Jumped from ~$29 to nearly $270 per megawatt-day

Why prices surged:

• Power plant retirements
• Growing electricity demand from data centers
• Transmission constraints

Impact on your bill: For a typical PPL customer using 1,000 kWh monthly: approximately $22-28 more per month. 💡 How to protect yourself: Competitive suppliers face the same wholesale costs but may offer price stability through fixed-rate contracts.

Pennsylvania electricity choice allows PPL Electric customers to purchase generation from competitive suppliers while PPL continues delivering power and maintaining the grid. How to switch suppliers:

1. Find your current PTC: Check your PPL Electric bill or PPLElectric.com
2. Compare offers: Use PAPowerSwitch.com or ElectricRates.org
3. Filter options: Rate type (fixed/variable), contract term, renewable %, cancellation fees
4. Enroll with supplier: They handle the switch

Why use ElectricRates.org:

• Automatically calculates savings against your current PTC
• PPL customers save an average of $521* per year

What to expect:

• Switching takes 1-2 billing cycles
• No service interruption
• No fees for switching or returning to default service

💡 What stays the same: Your delivery charges, outage response, and billing remain with PPL.

PPL Electric bills separate charges into distinct categories. Main charge categories:

• Generation charges: Electricity supply—either PPL's PTC or your competitive supplier's rate
• Transmission charges: Moving power from generators across high-voltage lines to PPL's local network
• Distribution charges: Local power lines, transformers, substations, grid maintenance (stays with PPL regardless of supplier)
• Customer charge: Fixed monthly fee
• Riders/adjustments: Smart meter deployment, energy efficiency, regulatory compliance

Key information on your bill:

• Usage displayed in kilowatt-hours (kWh)
• Enables direct rate comparisons with suppliers

With a competitive supplier:

• Supplier charges replace PPL's generation charge
• PPL continues sending consolidated bills
• PPL manages your account

PPL Electric handles all power outages in its territory regardless of your electricity supplier choice. How to report an outage:

• Online: PPLElectric.com
• Mobile app: PPL Electric app
• Phone: 📞 1-800-342-5775

Outage tracking: PPL's outage map displays affected areas with estimated restoration times and crew deployment status. Grid reliability:

• 50,600 miles of power lines maintained
• Service reliability exceeds 99.9% for most customers
• Investments in vegetation management, equipment upgrades, and smart grid technology

Major storm response: PPL coordinates mutual aid with other utilities across the region for extended outages. 🚨 Emergency: Downed lines require immediate reporting for safety prioritization.

PPL Electric offers assistance programs for customers struggling with bills. Assistance programs:

• LIHEAP: Federally-funded bill payment assistance through PA Department of Human Services
• OnTrack: PPL's program offering reduced rates for qualifying low-income households, capping bills at affordable levels
• Operation HELP: Emergency grants for customers facing financial hardship

Payment options:

• Budget Billing: Spreads annual costs into equal monthly payments, preventing seasonal bill spikes
• Payment extensions: Available by contacting customer service
• Hardship funds: Available for qualifying customers

📞 Customer service: 1-800-342-5775 Disconnection protections:

• Winter shutoff moratorium: December 1 through March 31 for income-eligible customers
• Medical certificates: Additional protection for customers with health conditions

Communities throughout PPL Electric's territory offer programs that may help reduce electricity costs. Community programs:

• Municipal aggregation: Some communities negotiate bulk electricity rates for residents
• Community solar: Subscribe to local solar projects and receive bill credits without installing panels
• PACE financing: Property Assessed Clean Energy financing for home energy improvements (some municipalities)

Lehigh Valley energy efficiency programs:

• Rebates on appliances
• Weatherization assistance
• Home energy audits

PPL Electric rebate programs:

• Efficient HVAC systems
• Smart thermostats
• Lighting upgrades

💡 Find your programs: Check with your local government and PPL Electric for available programs in your specific community.

Beyond switching suppliers, PPL Electric customers can reduce bills through multiple strategies. PPL programs:

• Home energy assessments
• Appliance rebates
• Weatherization assistance

Energy efficiency tips:

• Smart thermostats: Reduce heating/cooling costs by 10-15%
• LED lighting: Uses 75% less energy than incandescent bulbs
• Air sealing: Seal leaks around windows and doors (especially important in older Lehigh Valley and Lancaster area homes)
• Time-of-use rates: May benefit customers who can shift usage to off-peak hours

Supplier shopping tips:

• Compare offers at least twice yearly when PPL's PTC changes
• Use PAPowerSwitch.com to find rates below the current 12.95¢ PTC
• Fixed-rate contracts can protect against future rate increases