What happens when my electricity contract ends in Pennsylvania? A practical guide

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Key Takeaways

When your Pennsylvania electricity contract ends, your power usually stays on. The change is often in your supply rate and contract terms.

• Your supplier should send two notices before a fixed-rate contract ends.
• You may move to a month-to-month plan or another option if you do nothing.
• You do not automatically return to Default Service or the utility’s Price to Compare.
• The final 30 days of a contract have special protection from early termination fees.
• Your bill, usage, fees, and timing all matter when you compare plans.

1. What usually happens when your Pennsylvania electricity contract ends

What happens when a Pennsylvania electricity contract ends depends on your contract’s end-of-term language. Your supplier may offer a new fixed plan, move you to month-to-month pricing, or explain another option. Your electricity service normally continues while that change takes place. The key is to read the notices before the old term expires.

The difference between contract expiration and service shutoff

A contract ending does not usually mean your home suddenly loses electricity. It means the agreement for your supply service has reached its scheduled end. Your utility still handles delivery, wires, outages, and the meter. Your supplier or Default Service arrangement handles the supply side of the bill.

If you take no action, the supplier can keep serving you under the treatment described in your notice. That may be a month-to-month plan with no cancellation fee, or a new fixed plan that you can leave without penalty. The new rate must be provided before the next billing cycle, according to the Pennsylvania Public Utility Commission end-of-contract guide.

How a supplier may handle the end of a fixed-rate term

Pennsylvania does not have one statewide rollover rate. A supplier may keep serving you at the price shown in its options notice. That price is often variable and month to month, but the notice controls what you are actually being offered.

There is no published example that shows one customer’s fixed rate ending and the exact variable rate that replaced it. So do not guess what your next rate will be. Read the notice, check the plan summary, and compare the new terms with other available choices.

Why your utility delivery usually continues even if your supply plan changes

Your local utility remains involved even when you choose a different electricity supplier. It delivers power, maintains the distribution system, reads the meter, and handles outage reports. A supplier switch changes the supply portion, not the physical wires to your home.

That split can make a bill look confusing. Supply charges and delivery charges may appear in separate sections, and changing suppliers does not remove utility delivery charges.

2. How to find out what happens under your current plan

Start with your current contract rather than an advertisement for a new plan. Look for the end date, the end-of-term treatment, and any cancellation language. Your bill may show the supplier, but the full contract or enrollment summary usually has more detail. Keep both the contract and notices together.

Where to check the contract end date

Look on your original enrollment documents, supplier emails, and recent bills. The date may be described as a contract end date, term end date, or final billing date. If the wording is unclear, contact the supplier and ask for the exact date in writing.

It also helps to put the date on your calendar. The date matters because it tells you when to expect the notices and when a new plan could begin. A plain-language guide to the required contract summary is available through this contract summary explanation.

What the renewal notice should explain

For a fixed contract, the supplier should send an initial notice 45 to 60 days before the term ends. It should then send an options notice at least 30 days before the end date. The notices are sent by first class mail, and the envelope should say it contains important information about the contract ending, according to the Pennsylvania Public Utility Commission.

The options notice should explain the available plans, prices, term lengths, and what happens if you do nothing. Read the details about variable pricing, cancellation fees, deposits, and the date a new rate takes effect. Save the notice even if you decide to shop elsewhere.

How to spot automatic renewal or month-to-month language

Search the notice for phrases such as month to month, variable rate, renewal term, new fixed term, and no cancellation fee. Also check whether you must actively accept a new fixed plan. A notice can describe an option without enrolling you in it immediately.

The phrase “you will remain on service unless you choose otherwise” is different from “you must accept this offer.” Read the section that explains what happens when you do nothing. That section is often more useful than the headline rate.

3. What your rate may become after the contract expires

Your next supply rate may not match the rate you first signed up for. A promotional rate can end, a variable rate can change, and a new fixed offer can include different fees. The Price to Compare, or PTC, is the utility’s benchmark for default supply service, but it is not automatically your post-contract rate. Compare the full bill effect, not just one number in an advertisement.

Fixed-rate, variable-rate, and month-to-month pricing

A fixed-rate plan keeps the supply price set for the stated term, subject to the contract terms. A variable-rate plan can change under the rules described in its contract. Month-to-month usually means there is no long fixed term, but it does not mean the price stays the same.

You do not automatically return to the utility’s PTC when your supplier contract ends. The supplier may continue serving you at the rate in the options notice, or you may ask to return to Default Service.

How introductory rates and promotional terms can end

A low starting rate may apply only for a stated period or under specific usage conditions. The rate can change when that period ends, even if you stay with the same supplier. Look for credits, minimum usage rules, enrollment bonuses, and terms that apply only to new customers.

Compare the advertised rate with the rate after the promotion, then check the conditions that make the offer work. A low number without its conditions is not enough to predict your bill.

Why the price per kilowatt-hour is not the whole bill

A plan can have a low supply price and still produce a different bill because of fixed fees, usage tiers, credits, deposits, or delivery charges. Your household’s usage pattern also affects whether a bill credit applies. Review the price at the usage level that looks most like your own home.

Pennsylvania utility PTCs vary by utility and can change twice each year for every Pennsylvania utility except UGI. For example, the residential PTCs effective June 1, 2026, ranged from 11.572 cents per kWh for PECO to 14.14 cents per kWh for Duquesne Light, as reported in the Pennsylvania Public Utility Commission’s June 2026 price notice. Your own utility and service date determine which benchmark applies.

4. Your options when the contract is ending

You generally have three paths when a fixed term is close to ending. You can stay with the current supplier under a new offer, compare another supplier, or ask to return to Default Service. None of these choices is automatically right for every household. Your recent bills and the contract terms should guide the decision.

Renewing with your current electricity supplier

Renewing can be simple if the new offer matches your needs. Check whether the rate is fixed or variable, how long the term lasts, and whether a fee applies if you leave early. Compare the new offer with the rate you paid before, but do not assume the old rate will continue.

Read the entire options notice before accepting. The new plan may have a different start date, deposit rule, or usage condition. Save a copy of the offer after you enroll.

Comparing another supplier in Pennsylvania

You can compare another supplier before the current term ends. Use your own usage history, not only the advertised rate. Check the contract summary, cancellation fee, price structure, and treatment at the end of the new term.

A comparison is useful only when the same facts appear side by side. Put each offer against your own bill and usage. The point is simple: compare the whole offer, not just its headline rate.

Returning to your utility’s default supply service

You may ask to return to Default Service instead of accepting a new supplier plan. Default Service uses the utility’s Price to Compare as its supply benchmark. The price can change on the utility’s schedule, so check the current PTC rather than relying on an old bill.

Returning to Default Service does not mean your utility becomes the supplier for every part of your bill. Delivery and supply remain separate charges. Confirm the effective date so you know which supplier covers each billing period.

5. Fees, timing, and protections to check before switching

Timing matters, but you do not need to rush into a plan you have not read. Your notice, contract, and move-out date answer different questions. Review all three before you enroll. Keep screenshots or copies of the documents you used.

Early termination fees and whether they still apply

Check the contract for an early termination fee and the conditions that make it apply. Pennsylvania rules provide that no early termination fee applies during the final 30 days of a fixed contract, according to the PUC end-of-contract guidance.

That protection does not erase other contract terms or settle every billing question. Ask the supplier for the final service date and any balance due. If you are moving, tell the supplier that your service address is changing.

Notice periods, renewal windows, and move-out dates

The first notice should arrive 45 to 60 days before a fixed contract ends, followed by an options notice at least 30 days before the end date. Use those windows to compare plans and ask questions. Do not wait until the final bill if you already know the contract date.

A switch takes about three business days after the utility is told, and it takes effect at the next regular meter read, according to PAPowerSwitch’s switching guidance. Your move-out date may require a separate stop-service request, even if you are also starting service at another address.

Deposit, credit, and enrollment terms that may affect a switch

A plan can require a deposit or set conditions for receiving a bill credit. The supplier should explain those terms before enrollment. Check whether the deposit is refundable, when it may be returned, and what happens if you cancel.

Be careful with unsolicited enrollment offers. The Philadelphia Inquirer reported that one Philadelphia customer’s bill rose from about $50 a month to over $200 after a door-to-door enrollment, as described in its report on Pennsylvania energy scams. Confirm the supplier, plan, rate, and authorization before sharing account details.

6. How to compare Pennsylvania electricity plans before choosing

The best comparison starts with your own bills. Gather several recent bills if you have them, then note your usage in kilowatt-hours and the supply charges you actually paid. Next, read each plan’s contract summary and options notice. A clear comparison reduces the chance that a teaser rate or credit condition controls your decision.

Using your recent electricity usage instead of a teaser rate

Your usage changes with weather, heating, cooling, appliances, and household routines. Review more than one bill so you can see your normal range. Then test each plan at usage levels that reflect your home.

A plan comparison is useful only when the usage input is realistic. A plan that looks low at one usage level may look different at another. Your result should reflect the way you use electricity, not an eye-catching example.

Reviewing the plan’s full pricing and contract terms

Read the contract summary or disclosure statement from top to bottom. Look for the supply price, fixed charges, usage credits, deposit terms, contract length, cancellation fee, and end-of-term treatment. If the plan is variable, find out how and when the price may change.

Nothing replaces reading the document itself. Compare what the document says with what the advertisement suggests.

Checking whether the plan fits your home, usage pattern, and timing

A plan should fit when you need it, how much electricity you use, and how much price change you can manage. Check the start date against your current contract or move-in date. Make sure any credit or usage tier matches your likely bills.

Before you choose, write down the rate, term, fees, deposit, and end-of-contract treatment. Then compare those notes with your current plan. That simple record gives you something useful to check when the next renewal notice arrives.

Ready to compare plans?

More on Pennsylvania: what every utility charges, and what other sites get wrong, early termination fees, and why there is no $50 cap, how to take a complaint about a supplier further.

When your Pennsylvania contract is ending, bring your recent bill details and compare plans. ChooseMyPower compares and explains plans, so you can inspect the terms before deciding.

Conclusion

When a Pennsylvania electricity contract ends, your service usually continues, but your supply terms may change. Read both notices, check the end-of-term language, compare the full bill details, and keep the timing clear. That gives you a practical way to choose whether to renew, switch, or return to Default Service.

Frequently Asked Questions

Will my electricity be shut off when my contract ends?

Usually no. Contract expiration changes the agreement for supply service, while your utility continues to deliver electricity and maintain the local system.

What happens if I do nothing when my contract expires?

Your supplier may move you to a month-to-month plan with no cancellation fee or to a new fixed plan that you can leave without penalty. The applicable rate and terms should be explained before the next billing cycle.

Will I automatically return to the utility’s Price to Compare?

No. You do not automatically return to Default Service or the utility’s PTC simply because your supplier contract ended. You may need to ask to return, or the supplier may continue serving you.

When should I receive notice that my fixed contract is ending?

You should receive an initial notice 45 to 60 days before the end date and an options notice at least 30 days before the end date.

Can I avoid an early termination fee near the end of my contract?

No early termination fee applies during the final 30 days of a fixed contract under Pennsylvania’s end-of-contract rules. Check your documents for other charges and instructions.

How long does a Pennsylvania supplier switch take?

A switch takes about three business days after the utility is notified and takes effect at the next regular meter read. The exact billing transition depends on the meter-read schedule.

What should I compare besides the advertised rate?

Compare the full supply price, fixed fees, usage conditions, bill credits, deposit, contract length, cancellation fee, start date, and end-of-term treatment. Your recent usage helps you judge which terms fit your household.