In short: Pennsylvania home electricity jumped about 11% in a year, to 21.72¢/kWh in July 2026, about 19% above the U.S. average (EIA). The state still credits solar at the full retail rate, and winter weather is rated a very high hazard (FEMA). Rising prices make solar and backup worth pricing now.
From Philadelphia row homes to farmhouses in the Lehigh Valley and the hills around Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania households are facing the same sharp rise in power prices. This page uses the state’s own data, with sources and dates, to show what solar, batteries, generators and EV charging are worth here, and where the rules are changing.
Pennsylvania at a glance
- Home electricity price: 21.72¢/kWh in July 2026, up from 19.51¢ in July 2025, vs 18.31¢ U.S. average; 21.04¢ for January to July 2026 (EIA, preliminary).
- Outages: about 336 minutes per customer in 2024 including major events, 131 minutes without them; 1.35 and 0.97 interruptions (EIA-861, 2024).
- Sun: 4.07 kWh/m² a day in Philadelphia, 3.8 in central Pennsylvania; roughly 1,190 kWh a year per kW of panels in the southeast (our estimate from NASA POWER data).
- Net metering: full retail monthly credits under state law; changes are under way at some utilities (details below).
- Plug-in (balcony) solar: no state law.
- Electric cars: 113,400 battery-electric cars (2025) and 5,863 public charging ports, 2,026 of them DC fast (AFDC, October 2026).
- Main utilities: FirstEnergy Pennsylvania (34% of customers), PECO (28%), PPL Electric Utilities (24%), Duquesne Light (10%) (EIA-861, 2024).
- Top weather hazards: winter weather (very high); cold waves, heat waves and strong wind (relatively high); hurricanes, ice storms and tornadoes (relatively moderate) (FEMA National Risk Index, December 2025).
- Wildfire power shutoffs: no utility program found.
Backup power in Pennsylvania
In 2024 the average Pennsylvania customer was without power for about 2 hours 11 minutes on ordinary days and about 5 hours 36 minutes once major storms were included. With winter weather rated very high and cold waves, heat waves and strong wind rated relatively high, outages here can land in either season: a snowstorm that takes down lines in the Poconos or a summer windstorm in the suburbs. Winter outages are the more serious, because furnaces and boilers need electricity to run, and homes on wells lose water too.
- City row homes and apartments: a portable power station for phones, router, lights and medical devices is the practical choice.
- Suburban houses: a home battery with or without solar covers the essentials, including a gas furnace’s blower, through most outages. Estimate size with the battery backup calculator.
- Rural homes with wells and long outages: a generator on a transfer switch or a standby unit. Size it with the generator sizing calculator.
Run any generator outdoors only, at least 20 feet from the house, exhaust pointed away from windows, doors and vents, and never in a garage or basement, even with the door open (CPSC). Keep battery or battery-backup carbon monoxide alarms on every level. A transfer switch or interlock connecting a generator or battery to house wiring must be installed by a licensed electrician with a permit.
Solar in Pennsylvania
By our rough estimate, panels around Philadelphia make about 1,190 kWh a year per kilowatt; central and northern counties get a little less sun. A 6 kW system would make roughly 7,100 kWh a year. If all of it offset power you would have bought, it would be worth up to about $1,550 a year at the July 2026 rate of 21.72¢, or about $1,500 at the year-to-date 21.04¢. A year earlier, at 19.51¢, the same output was worth about $160 less. These are estimates, not promises, and your own bill’s rate is what counts; use it in the solar potential calculator and compare installed prices in the solar cost guide.
Net metering: under the state’s Alternative Energy Portfolio Standards Act, net-metered customers receive one-for-one retail credits each month, and any excess left at the end of the year is paid at the utility’s price to compare. That arrangement is changing at some utilities. According to an industry report, the Public Utility Commission approved a PPL settlement in June 2026 that moves many projects to export credits based on hourly prices, with grandfathering for a limited amount of capacity, and FirstEnergy Pennsylvania has proposed a similar change that was still pending. If you are in PPL or FirstEnergy territory, ask the installer and the utility which rules your system will fall under before you sign. More in net metering explained.
Incentives: we found no state-run solar or battery incentive for homes that we could confirm in October 2026. The federal 25D credit ended for systems completed after December 31, 2025. See energy incentives and the solar guide. Pennsylvania has no plug-in (balcony) solar law; utility interconnection rules apply.
EIA counted about 81,400 net-metered home solar systems in Pennsylvania in 2024, about 651 MW, and about 1,300 paired with a battery.
Home batteries in Pennsylvania
Where full retail net metering still applies, a battery adds little to bill savings and is mainly about backup. That could change: if your utility moves solar exports to hourly-price credits, a battery that stores midday solar for evening use becomes more valuable. Either way, the backup case rests on Pennsylvania’s winter risk: a battery keeps the furnace blower, sump pump, fridge and lights running through a typical outage. Compare prices in home battery cost and the basics in home batteries. We found no confirmed state battery incentive.
EV charging in Pennsylvania
Pennsylvania had 113,400 battery-electric cars and 55,900 plug-in hybrids at the end of 2025 (AFDC). There are 5,863 public ports at 2,073 locations, including 2,026 DC fast ports, about one for every 19 electric cars.
Drive on another fuel? See every alternative fuel station in Pennsylvania: hydrogen, propane, natural gas, E85 ethanol, biodiesel and renewable diesel.
Charging at home, by our estimate, costs about $6.52 per 100 miles at 21.72¢, assuming about 30 kWh per 100 miles (a fueleconomy.gov-style figure), or roughly $65 for 1,000 miles a month. A 30-mpg gas car at the U.S. average of $4.465 a gallon (EIA, late September 2026) costs about $14.88 per 100 miles. A time-of-use rate, where your utility offers one, can cut the EV figure. Use the EV charging cost calculator and read home EV charging. A Level 2 charger needs a 240 V circuit installed by a licensed electrician with a permit. The federal 30C charger credit ended for chargers placed in service after June 30, 2026.
Off-grid, small wind and micro-hydro
Hunting cabins and remote camps in the northern tier and the Alleghenies are Pennsylvania’s typical off-grid buildings. Solar with a modest battery and a generator for cloudy winter stretches is the usual setup; plan it with off-grid power systems and the off-grid planner. Small wind is generally poor: NASA data shows about 4.3 m/s at 50 m and only 2.1 m/s at 10 m near the center of the state, below the 4 to 4.5 m/s DOE suggests at hub height, so only measured ridge-top sites are worth considering. See wind energy and hydroelectric power; we have not checked state micro-hydro sources.
Licensing and permits in Pennsylvania
Pennsylvania has no statewide electrician license. Electricians are licensed locally, for example by Philadelphia’s Department of Licenses and Inspections or the City of Pittsburgh, so ask your municipality what it requires. Home improvement contractors must register with the Pennsylvania Attorney General; search the Attorney General’s website for its home improvement contractor lookup and confirm the registration number before you sign. Permits come from your municipality, and your utility must approve interconnection before solar or a grid-tied battery is switched on.
Local guides in Pennsylvania
Utilities, rates, outage records, permit offices and local programs for each area:
Where we cover in Pennsylvania
- Philadelphia: Philadelphia, West Chester, Doylestown, King of Prussia
- Pittsburgh: Pittsburgh, Cranberry Township, Monroeville
- Lehigh Valley: Allentown, Bethlehem, Easton
- Harrisburg: Harrisburg, Mechanicsburg
- Lancaster: Lancaster, York
- Northeast Pennsylvania: Scranton
- Elsewhere in the state: Erie
Local pages will follow as we verify local information and installers.
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Pennsylvania energy FAQ
Does Pennsylvania still have full net metering?
State law still provides one-for-one retail credits each month, with yearly excess paid at the price to compare. But changes are reported at PPL, where a June 2026 settlement moves many new projects to hourly-price export credits, and FirstEnergy has proposed something similar. Ask your utility which rules apply to a new system.
Why did my Pennsylvania electric bill go up?
The statewide average home price rose from 19.51¢ per kWh in July 2025 to 21.72¢ in July 2026, about 11% (EIA). Your own bill also depends on your rate plan, delivery charges and how much you used. Efficiency, solar and choosing the right rate are the main ways to respond.
Are there solar incentives in Pennsylvania in 2026?
We found no confirmed state-run rebate or tax credit for home solar or batteries, and the federal 25D credit ended for systems completed after 2025. Net metering is the main financial support. Ask your utility and municipality about local programs before you sign.
How do I check a contractor in Pennsylvania?
Ask for the contractor’s home improvement registration number and confirm it on the Attorney General’s website. Electrical licenses are local, so ask your municipality whether it licenses electricians and confirm the license there. Also ask for proof of insurance.
Generator or battery for a Pennsylvania winter outage?
For outages of a few hours, a battery covers a gas furnace’s blower, the fridge and lights without fuel or noise. For multi-day winter outages, especially with a well pump, a generator on a transfer switch is more dependable. Either connection needs a licensed electrician.
Sources
Electricity prices: EIA Electric Power Monthly, Tables 5.6.A and 5.6.B (July 2026, preliminary). Outages, utilities and solar counts: EIA-861 (2024). Sun and wind: NASA POWER climatology 2001–2020. Hazards: FEMA National Risk Index (December 2025). Electric cars and charging: AFDC (registrations 2025; stations read October 3, 2026). Net metering: Pennsylvania AEPS Act; PPL and FirstEnergy changes from an industry report (2026). Contractor registration: Pennsylvania Office of Attorney General. Generator safety: CPSC. Checked October 2026.