Pennsylvania Electric Company (Penelec) – FirstEnergy Rate Selection Guide
Pennsylvania Electric Company (Penelec), a FirstEnergy company, is an electric-only IOU in PA's deregulated market. It provides My Account billing/usage, an Analyze Usage smart-meter tool, and a robust third-party data program: a PA Third-Party Data Access Tariff (June 2023), the SU-MR web portal, System-to-System HIU platform, and ANSI X12 EDI (814/867) for 15/30-minute interval data. No Green Button.
Pennsylvania Electric Company (Penelec) – FirstEnergy Rate Schedule Comparison
| Schedule | Type | Rate | Best For |
|---|---|---|---|
| GS-Small | Electric commercial (small, non-demand) | Customer charge ~$20.87/mo + per-kWh distribution; no demand charge (illustrative, PA PUC 2025) | Small offices, retail, light commercial without significant demand |
| GS-Medium | Electric commercial (mid, demand metered) | Customer charge ~$44.07/mo + per-kW demand + per-kWh distribution (illustrative ~$177.76 dist. at 25 kW/10,000 kWh) | Mid-size commercial/industrial with demand metering |
| GS-Large | Electric large commercial/industrial | Customer charge ~$229.30/mo + demand + energy (illustrative ~$3,776 dist. at 500 kW/200,000 kWh); hourly-priced default generation | Large secondary-voltage commercial/industrial sites |
| GP / LP | Electric primary/large primary industrial | Primary-voltage demand schedules; LP industrial customer charge ~$1,115.91/mo + ~$3,932 dist. at 1,000 kW (illustrative) | Industrial customers taking primary-voltage service |
Market Overview
PA retail electric choice: Penelec provides regulated delivery while customers can select a competitive supplier. FirstEnergy's PA Third-Party Data Access Tariff (June 2023) governs CSP/conservation provider access; suppliers transact via EDI.
Need to pull your actual usage data to compare rates? See the Pennsylvania Electric Company (Penelec) – FirstEnergy Data Access Guide →
Current Rate Schedules
Penelec (FirstEnergy Pennsylvania Electric Company - Penelec Rate District) provides distribution-only service in northern and central PA; generation supply is competitive (PA Power Switch) or default service via the Price to Compare. As of 2024-2025, FirstEnergy consolidated its PA companies (Met-Ed, Penelec, Penn Power, West Penn) into FirstEnergy Pennsylvania Electric Company, served under a single retail tariff with Rate District-specific distribution prices. Commercial and industrial customers take service under size-tiered secondary schedules — GS-Small (non-demand), GS-Medium (demand metered), GS-Large — plus primary-voltage schedules GP (General Service Primary) and LP (Large Primary). Distribution rates reflect the $225M base-rate settlement approved by the PA PUC on November 21, 2024.
Effective: January 1, 2025 · Full Tariff Book →
| Schedule | Type | Applicability | Structure | Rate |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Rate GS-Small - General Service Secondary (Non-Demand Metered) | Commercial (small) secondary distribution | Small non-residential customers at secondary voltage without demand metering. Treated as Commercial Customer Class. | Monthly Customer (Minimum) Charge plus per-kWh Distribution Charge; no demand charge. Distribution only — generation via competitive supplier or default Price to Compare. Energy Efficiency & Conservation and other riders apply. | Per PA PUC 2025 Rate Comparison: Small Commercial (5 kW, 1,000 kWh) customer charge $20.87, distribution $42.62 (bundled illustrative). See tariff for unit rates.+ None (non-demand metered) |
| Rate GS-Medium - General Service Secondary (Demand Metered) | Commercial (mid-size) secondary distribution | Medium commercial/industrial customers at secondary voltage with demand metering. GS-Medium (HP) variant falls in the Industrial Customer Class. | Customer Charge + per-kW Distribution Demand Charge + per-kWh Distribution Charge, plus riders. Distribution only. | Per PA PUC 2025 Rate Comparison: Medium Commercial (25 kW demand, 10,000 kWh) customer charge $44.07, distribution charges $177.76 (illustrative bundled). See tariff for unit demand/energy rates.+ Per-kW distribution demand charge (see tariff); illustrative example implies meaningful demand component |
| Rate GS-Large - General Service Secondary | Large commercial/industrial secondary distribution | Large secondary-voltage commercial and industrial customers; part of the Industrial Customer Class. Hourly-priced default generation applies. | Customer Charge + per-kW distribution demand charge + per-kWh distribution charge, plus riders; default generation billed on hourly pricing. Distribution only. | Per PA PUC 2025 Rate Comparison: Large Commercial (500 kW demand, 200,000 kWh) customer charge $229.30, distribution charges $3,776.06 (illustrative bundled). See tariff for unit rates.+ Per-kW distribution demand charge (see tariff) |
| Rate GP - General Service Primary | Commercial/Industrial primary distribution | Commercial and industrial customers taking service at primary voltage (greater than 600 volts), with a defined maximum demand level. Industrial Customer Class. | Customer Charge + per-kW distribution demand charge + per-kWh distribution charge at primary voltage, plus riders; default generation on hourly pricing. Distribution only. | Primary-voltage demand schedule; unit rates per Rate GP pages of FirstEnergy PA retail tariff. (See tariff.)+ Per-kW distribution demand charge at primary voltage (see tariff) |
| Rate LP - Large Primary | Industrial / large primary distribution | Largest primary-voltage industrial/commercial loads. Industrial Customer Class; default generation on hourly pricing. | Customer Charge + per-kW distribution demand charge + per-kWh distribution charge at primary/transmission voltage, plus riders. Distribution only. | Per PA PUC 2025 Rate Comparison: Industrial (1,000 kW demand, 400,000 kWh) customer charge $1,115.91, distribution charges $3,932.12 (illustrative bundled). See tariff for unit rates.+ Per-kW distribution demand charge (see tariff) |
Rate Recommendations by Use Case
Demand-metered C&I facility
Use 15/30-minute interval data to manage demand and PLC capacity costs.
Interval data via SU-MR, StS HIU, or EDI 867HU exposes peak drivers; PLC set during PJM peaks drives capacity charges.
- Register for the PA Third-Party Data Access program and submit LOAs
- Pull 15/30-min interval data via SU-MR or EDI
- Compare competitive supply vs. Price to Compare
Small C&I with consultant
Grant guest access to a consultant for usage analytics.
The Analyze Usage tool supports view-only guest users, an easy way to share smart-meter data without formal registration.
- Invite the consultant as a guest user
- Use Analyze Usage bill comparison and energy cost views
- Request interval metering if higher frequency is needed
Energy manager / aggregator
Register for the PA Third-Party Data Access program and use the SU-MR portal.
The SU-MR portal (no per-request fees) and StS HIU platform provide scalable monthly and interval data with LOAs under the June 2023 tariff.
- Designate an organization administrator
- Upload LOAs and use the Attest/Activity Log functions
- Use StS HIU for bulk/automated delivery
Demand response provider (CSP)
Use the CSP program and FTP data access for PJM demand response.
CSPs enroll customers in PJM DR and pull usage/account data via secure FTP after submitting LOAs.
- Verify PJM status and register as a CSP
- Use standard CSP LOA forms (post Nov 1, 2025)
- Download data via the secure FTP site
Historical Rate Trends
FirstEnergy filed a consolidated PA base rate case; on November 21, 2024 the PA PUC approved a settlement allowing a $225 million base rate increase for FirstEnergy Pennsylvania Electric Company (which includes the Penelec Rate District), with distribution rates effective January 1, 2025. Default-service Price to Compare (generation supply) also rose through 2025.
January 1, 2025
PA PUC-approved $225M consolidated base rate increase for FirstEnergy Pennsylvania Electric Company (settlement approved Nov 21, 2024). Residential Penelec distribution rose ~4.1% for a 1,000 kWh customer; C&I distribution charges increased correspondingly.
~4.1% (residential 1,000 kWh reference); C&I variesJune 1, 2025
Penelec Rate District default-service Price to Compare rose to 11.003¢/kWh (up 5.05%), then to 11.747¢/kWh effective Dec 1, 2025 (up 6.76%). Affects generation supply, not distribution.
+5.05% (Jun 1), +6.76% (Dec 1) on generation PTCOverall trend: Rising — distribution base rates increased Jan 2025; generation Price to Compare rose multiple times in 2025.
Next expected change: Default-service Price to Compare adjusts periodically (June 1 / December 1 cycles); the Dec 1, 2025 PTC was 11.747¢/kWh (up 6.76%). Next distribution base rate case timing not yet announced.
Cost Optimization Strategies
Penelec C&I bills combine regulated distribution charges with separately-procured generation supply (default Price to Compare or competitive supplier, hourly-priced for large customers). The biggest levers are competitive supply procurement, demand/peak management, and correct schedule/voltage selection.
Shop competitive generation supply
For: All GS-Small, GS-Medium, GS-Large, GP, LP accounts
Generation is unbundled in PA. Procuring supply via a licensed competitive supplier (PA Power Switch) can beat the default Price to Compare, which rose materially through 2025 (to 11.747¢/kWh by Dec 1).
Manage peak demand
For: Demand-metered GS-Medium, GS-Large, GP, LP
GS-Medium, GS-Large, GP and LP carry per-kW distribution demand charges. Peak shaving and load-factor improvement directly reduce the demand component of the distribution bill.
Optimize PJM capacity (hourly-priced customers)
For: GS-Large, GP, LP and GS-Medium (HP) customers
Large customers on hourly-priced default generation are exposed to PJM capacity costs tied to Peak Load Contribution. Curtailing during the ~5 PJM coincident summer peak hours lowers the next year's capacity obligation.
Confirm correct schedule and consider primary service
For: Large commercial/industrial customers near size/voltage thresholds
Verify the account is on the most economical schedule for its size and metering, and evaluate taking primary-voltage service (GP/LP) with customer-owned transformation to reduce delivery costs for large loads.
To implement these strategies, you need your 15-minute interval data. Learn how to download Pennsylvania Electric Company (Penelec) – FirstEnergy interval data →
Frequently Asked Questions
Does Penelec / FirstEnergy support Green Button?▾
No. FirstEnergy has not adopted Green Button / ESPI. Equivalent functionality is provided through the SU-MR web portal, the System-to-System Historical Interval Usage (StS HIU) platform, and ANSI X12 EDI under the PA Third-Party Data Access Tariff, plus the customer-facing Analyze Usage tool.
How granular is the interval data?▾
15-minute (or 30-minute) interval data is available where smart meters are deployed, with hourly aggregations. Third parties obtain it via SU-MR, StS HIU, or EDI 867HU; up to 24 months standard. FirstEnergy stopped publishing interval files in January 2022.
How does a third party get customer data?▾
Register for the PA Third-Party Data Access program (effective June 1, 2023), designate an administrator, obtain a signed customer Letter of Authorization, and use the SU-MR portal (CSV/Excel/EDI), StS HIU platform, or EDI 814/867. There are no per-request fees.
Can a C&I customer choose its electricity supplier?▾
Yes. Pennsylvania is deregulated: Penelec provides delivery and default service while customers can select a competitive supplier. Compare offers against the default service Price to Compare on PA PowerSwitch.
Can I share my data with a consultant easily?▾
Yes. Business customers can grant view-only guest access to the Analyze Usage tool, or use a Letter of Authorization for a registered third party to pull data via the SU-MR portal or EDI.
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