What electric space heating costs to run in Pennsylvania
Pennsylvania homes use 3,362 kWh a year on electric space heating. Priced on top of the rest of the bill, that costs $336.12 to $753.96 a year across 11 published Pennsylvania plans — a $417.84 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 | $232.53 | −$103.59 | 8.4¢ |
| Residential Service Heatingtime-of-use · needs electric heating | $323.70 | −$12.42 | 11.2¢ |
| Residential Service✓ cheapestflat rate | $336.12 | — | 11.5¢ |
| Residential Heating Service (RH)time-of-use · needs electric heating | $338.84 | +$2.72 | 11.4¢ |
| Residential Service (R)flat rate | $391.56 | +$55.44 | 13.0¢ |
| Residential Service Add-On Heat Pumptime-of-use · needs a heat pump | $657.60 | +$321.48 | 21.1¢ |
| Residential Heating Service (RH)time-of-use · needs electric heating | $683.00 | +$346.88 | 21.6¢ |
| Residential Service Heatingtime-of-use · needs electric heating | $702.60 | +$366.48 | 22.4¢ |
| Residential Service (R) - TOUtime-of-use | $724.98 | +$388.86 | 22.9¢ |
| Residential Service (R)flat rate | $735.72 | +$399.60 | 23.2¢ |
| Residential Serviceflat rate | $753.96 | +$417.84 | 23.9¢ |
Cost across usage levels
The cheapest plan at each consumption level, showing whether the ranking holds as usage changes.
- Lighter use — cheapest $41.88 (Residential Service), dearest $93.96, a $52.08 spread
- Average — cheapest $336.12 (Residential Service), dearest $753.96, a $417.84 spread
- Heavier use — cheapest $434.64 (Residential Service), dearest $974.88, a $540.24 spread
What electric space heating costs here
Across 11 plans priced in Pennsylvania, electric space heating adds $336.12 to $753.96 a year — $28.01 to $62.83 a month. The median plan puts electric space heating at $724.98 a year.
Cheapest for electric space heating: Residential Service, Duquesne Light Co. Dearest: Residential Service, Duquesne Light Co.
Those 3,362 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 3,362 kWh a year across 302 sampled homes that run one, 1.35× the national 2,484 kWh. The middle half spans 419 kWh to 4,347 kWh, so electric space heating varies by 3,928 kWh between one household and another.
All electricity used for space heating, including the furnace or heat-pump compressor and the air handler that moves the heat around the house. That average covers homes heated with electricity — 50% of homes here.
That makes electric space heating about 33% of the electricity a Pennsylvania home uses. The remaining 6,886 kWh is what electric space heating 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, $336.12; PECO Energy Co, $391.56.
PECO Energy Co charges $55.44 a year more than Duquesne Light Co on Residential Service for the same 3,362 kWh.
Light and heavy use of electric space heating
A household in the lighter quarter runs electric space heating for 419 kWh a year and pays $41.88 on the cheapest plan. One in the heavier quarter runs it for 4,347 kWh and pays $434.64 — $392.76 more for electric space heating 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.