May 13, 2026
— Jeff Ward, Lehigh Valley News Briefs
PPL will raise its “default rate” for electricity about 1.5% on June 1.
The website of PPL Electric Utilities lists the new rate as 13.147 cents per kilowatt hour, up from 12.953 cents. The default rate is what people who don’t shop around pay. PPL sets it every six months. The new rate is good through the end of November.
Meanwhile, PPL has a deal with the Pennsylvania Public Utilities Commission to raise the price of sending the energy to customers, taking effect in July. That will add about $7.42 to monthly bills, according to the Allentown-based utility.
Customers who shop around can get better deals, with some caveats. I’m paying 9.89 cents per kilowatt hour through August. About a week before that rate ends, I’ll have to find a new supplier or if prices have soared, go with the default rate.
Shopping around is easy. Go to PAPowerSwitch and have your zip code and PPL account number. I always look for “no fee, no cancellation fee” deals, but there are many options.
Then filter by price. The process takes about three minutes. Once a new supplier is chosen, mark the calendar to be ready to switch at least a week in advance, otherwise there’s a chance the supplier will boost rates the second the deal is over.
Meanwhile, shares of PPL (NYSE:PPL) traded at $35.86, down 48 cents, at 10:09 a.m.
PPL Corp. serves customers in Pennsylvania, Rhode Island and Kentucky. The company has a market capitalization of about $27 billion.
Disclosure: I own shares of PPL.
Lehigh Valley News Briefs 