In short: Chambersburg has about 23,000 people and sits in Franklin County. FirstEnergy Pennsylvania Electric Co, Adams Electric Cooperative Inc and Valley Rural Electric Coop Inc serves different parts of Franklin County, so your utility depends on your address; their 2024 home averages range from 14.42¢ to 17.37¢ per kWh (EIA). Rooftop solar here makes roughly 1,160 kWh a year per kW of panels by our estimate, which is about average for the U.S..
This page covers what is local to Chambersburg: its utility, outage records, sunshine, weather risks and charging. Statewide rules such as net metering, incentives and electrician licensing are in our Pennsylvania energy guide.
Chambersburg at a glance
- Place: Chambersburg, Franklin County, Pennsylvania; about 23,041 residents (Census Bureau estimate, July 2024).
- Utility: FirstEnergy Pennsylvania Electric Co (investor-owned). Homes paid an average 17.37¢ per kWh in 2024 (EIA-861); the average customer lost 221 minutes of power on normal days and 403 counting major storms, with 1.5 interruptions a year (utility-wide, not just Chambersburg).
- Utility: Adams Electric Cooperative Inc (member-owned cooperative). Homes paid an average 14.42¢ per kWh in 2024 (EIA-861) (utility-wide, not just Chambersburg).
- Utility: Valley Rural Electric Coop Inc (member-owned cooperative). Homes paid an average 14.87¢ per kWh in 2024 (EIA-861) (utility-wide, not just Chambersburg).
- Sun: 3.98 kWh per square meter per day on average, from 1.72 in December to 6.07 in June (NASA POWER). Our rough estimate: about 1,160 kWh a year per kW of panels.
- Climate: about 940 cooling degree-days and 5,730 heating degree-days a year (base 65°F, NASA POWER), so heating is the big load.
- Top hazards in Franklin County: hurricanes “relatively moderate”, river and heavy-rain flooding “relatively moderate” and strong winds “relatively moderate” (FEMA National Risk Index; overall county risk rated “relatively low”).
- Public charging: 28 ports at 5 locations in Chambersburg, 26 of them DC fast (AFDC, October 20, 2026).
Your utility and what it means
FirstEnergy Pennsylvania Electric Co is an investor-owned utility and served about 1,464,054 home customers in 2024; its 17.37¢ average was below the 21.72¢ statewide average for July 2026. Adams Electric Cooperative Inc is a member-owned cooperative utility and served about 32,231 home customers in 2024; its 14.42¢ average was below the 21.72¢ statewide average for July 2026. Valley Rural Electric Coop Inc is a member-owned cooperative utility and served about 18,180 home customers in 2024; its 14.87¢ average was below the 21.72¢ statewide average for July 2026. Those are utility-wide averages, not a quote for your address; your own bill is the real number.
For reliability, FirstEnergy Pennsylvania Electric Co reported 221 minutes per customer without major storms in 2024, more than the statewide figure of 131 (EIA-861). Utility-wide numbers hide a lot: a home at the end of a long rural line usually has more outages than the average.
Net metering, export rates and incentives are set at state level and by each utility. Start with the Pennsylvania guide and then ask your utility for its current interconnection steps before you sign anything.
Backup power in Chambersburg
- Hurricanes (relatively moderate): Hurricanes can mean a week without power. A standby generator on natural gas or propane, or a battery with solar, beats a stack of gas cans; check flood height before you site equipment.
- River and heavy-rain flooding (relatively moderate): Heavy rain can flood basements and take out power. Put sump pumps on backup power and keep equipment above the flood line.
- Heating load: a winter outage can stop a furnace blower, boiler pump or heat pump. List what your heat needs to run before choosing a generator or battery.
- Short outages: a portable power station covers phones, Wi-Fi, a CPAP and lights; a home battery switches over automatically.
Size your setup with the generator sizing tool and the battery backup calculator, and compare options in backup power. Generator safety (CPSC): outdoors only, at least 20 feet from the house, exhaust away from doors and windows, never in a garage, and battery-powered carbon monoxide alarms inside. A licensed electrician should install any transfer switch, with a permit; see generator installation.
Solar in Chambersburg
By our rough estimate each kW of panels makes about 1,160 kWh a year in Chambersburg (NASA sunshine data times 365 days times 0.80 for system losses). Valued at FirstEnergy Pennsylvania Electric Co’s 2024 average of 17.37¢, that is about $201 a year per kW if all of it offsets your own use (an estimate, not a promise). Production swings with the seasons: June is the sunniest month at 6.07 and December the dimmest at 1.72, a 3.5-to-1 gap, so a battery or a bigger system helps in winter.
Check your own roof with the solar potential tool, see solar costs and net metering vs net billing, and read the steps in solar installation.
Batteries and EV charging
A home battery earns its place when outages are frequent, when your utility pays little for exported solar, or when evening prices are high; compare in home batteries and battery costs. Chambersburg has 28 public charging ports in the federal station list including 26 DC fast, but home charging is cheaper and easier: see the EV charging cost calculator and EV charger installation.
Drive on another fuel? See every alternative fuel station in Chambersburg: hydrogen, propane, natural gas, E85 ethanol, biodiesel and renewable diesel.
Permits and inspections
Solar, generator transfer switches and EV chargers normally need an electrical permit from the Chambersburg building or permitting department, or from Franklin County if you live outside city limits, and often a utility interconnection approval. We have not verified a local permit page for Chambersburg, so check the city and county websites or ask your electrician, who will know the process. Hire only a licensed electrician or installer; the Pennsylvania guide lists the state licensing rules.
Nearby guides
More local guides: see all of Pennsylvania, or the whole Pennsylvania energy guide.
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Chambersburg energy FAQ
Who is my electric company in Chambersburg?
FirstEnergy Pennsylvania Electric Co, Adams Electric Cooperative Inc and Valley Rural Electric Coop Inc all serve parts of Franklin County. Which one serves you depends on your street, so check the top of your bill. Their 2024 home price averages differ (FirstEnergy Pennsylvania Electric Co 17.37¢, Adams Electric Cooperative Inc 14.42¢, Valley Rural Electric Coop Inc 14.87¢) so it matters for solar math.
How much power will solar make in Chambersburg?
About 1,160 kWh a year per kW of panels by our estimate, so a 6 kW system would make roughly 6,960 kWh. Shade, roof direction and tilt change this; run your address through the solar potential tool for a better number.
Will a home battery keep my heat on in an outage?
It can keep a furnace blower, boiler pump or a heat pump running for a while, but long cold outages drain a battery fast without solar to recharge it. Pair it with a generator or wood or propane heat if outages here run for days.
Do I need a permit for solar or a generator in Chambersburg?
Almost always an electrical permit for a transfer switch, solar or an EV charger, issued by the city or county where you live. Your licensed electrician or installer normally pulls it. Never connect a generator to your house wiring without a transfer switch.
Sources: EIA Form 861 (2024) for utility prices and outages; NASA POWER climatology (2001 to 2025) for sun and degree-days; FEMA National Risk Index for county hazards; AFDC station locator for public charging; Census Bureau for population. Estimates are ours and are not promises; see our editorial policy. Prices and programs change, so check each program page.