What air conditioning costs to run in Pennsylvania
Pennsylvania homes use 1,553 kWh a year on air conditioning. Priced on top of the rest of the bill, that costs $155.28 to $348.36 a year across 11 published Pennsylvania plans — a $193.08 gap. Checked September 2, 2026.
Every priced plan, average
| Plan | Per year | vs cheapest | Effective |
|---|---|---|---|
| Residential Service Add-On Heat Pumptime-of-use · needs a heat pump | $107.44 | −$47.84 | 8.4¢ |
| Residential Service Heatingtime-of-use · needs electric heating | $149.52 | −$5.76 | 11.2¢ |
| Residential Service✓ cheapestflat rate | $155.28 | — | 11.5¢ |
| Residential Heating Service (RH)time-of-use · needs electric heating | $156.56 | +$1.28 | 11.4¢ |
| Residential Service (R)flat rate | $180.96 | +$25.68 | 13.0¢ |
| Residential Service Add-On Heat Pumptime-of-use · needs a heat pump | $303.84 | +$148.56 | 21.1¢ |
| Residential Heating Service (RH)time-of-use · needs electric heating | $315.52 | +$160.24 | 21.6¢ |
| Residential Service Heatingtime-of-use · needs electric heating | $324.60 | +$169.32 | 22.4¢ |
| Residential Service (R) - TOUtime-of-use | $334.91 | +$179.63 | 22.9¢ |
| Residential Service (R)flat rate | $339.84 | +$184.56 | 23.2¢ |
| Residential Serviceflat rate | $348.36 | +$193.08 | 23.9¢ |
Cost across usage levels
The cheapest plan at each consumption level, showing whether the ranking holds as usage changes.
- Lighter use — cheapest $72.36 (Residential Service), dearest $162.24, a $89.88 spread
- Average — cheapest $155.28 (Residential Service), dearest $348.36, a $193.08 spread
- Heavier use — cheapest $205.32 (Residential Service), dearest $460.44, a $255.12 spread
What air conditioning costs here
Across 11 plans priced in Pennsylvania, air conditioning adds $155.28 to $348.36 a year — $12.94 to $29.03 a month. The median plan puts air conditioning at $334.91 a year.
Cheapest for air conditioning: Residential Service, Duquesne Light Co. Dearest: Residential Service, Duquesne Light Co.
Those 1,553 kWh are billed at 10.0¢–22.4¢, against a 22.9¢ whole-bill average on the median plan, so on these plans the two rates are close.
What Pennsylvania homes use
EIA's 2020 residential survey found 1,553 kWh a year across 565 sampled homes that run one, 33% under the national 2,318 kWh. The middle half spans 724 kWh to 2,053 kWh, so air conditioning varies by 1,330 kWh between one household and another.
All electricity used for cooling — central systems, heat pumps in cooling mode, and window or wall units — plus the air handler that runs with them. That average covers homes with air conditioning — 91% of homes here.
That makes air conditioning about 15% of the electricity a Pennsylvania home uses. The remaining 8,695 kWh is what air conditioning is billed on top of, and on a tiered or time-of-use plan that is what sets the rate it meets.
By provider
On each Pennsylvania provider's cheapest plan: Duquesne Light Co, $155.28; PECO Energy Co, $180.96.
PECO Energy Co charges $25.68 a year more than Duquesne Light Co on Residential Service for the same 1,553 kWh.
Light and heavy use of air conditioning
A household in the lighter quarter runs air conditioning for 724 kWh a year and pays $72.36 on the cheapest plan. One in the heavier quarter runs it for 2,053 kWh and pays $205.32 — $132.96 more for air conditioning on the same tariff.
Limits
A 2020 survey average for Pennsylvania, not a measurement of any one home, priced against the 11 Pennsylvania tariffs WattClear has ingested — not every plan sold there.
New to these terms? The methodology page explains tiered bands, time-of-use periods and fixed charges, and sets out exactly what the rate engine assumes.
Estimate — your actual bill may differ.
Tariff structures from NREL/OpenEI Utility Rate Database (CC0 1.0), retrieved September 2, 2026.
Location resolved through the US Census Bureau Geocoder (Public domain) at 40.4406, -79.9959.