Maryland · electric utility
Pepco (Maryland) Standard Offer Service & rate increases
Pepco (Maryland) is a Exelon (Pepco Holdings) utility serving suburban Maryland (Montgomery and Prince George's counties). Pepco serves the populous Washington suburbs of Montgomery and Prince George's counties, where it delivers electricity but doesn't sell the generation supply. (source)
Standard Offer Service (current rate)
13.27¢/kWh
Effective (current) · last reviewed
Estimate for comparison — confirm the current rate and all charges with Pepco (Maryland) before acting. Not advice.
Next scheduled reset: · Seasonal (summer Jun–Sep / winter Oct–May). Every utility's reset calendar →
Of the 4 Maryland utilities we track, Pepco (Maryland)'s Standard Offer Service is the 3rd-lowest — the range runs from 12.35¢ (Delmarva Power) to 14.609¢ (Baltimore Gas & Electric (BGE)). Compare all Maryland rates →
What it means: a Pepco (Maryland) customer on a 17¢/kWh third-party supplier rate pays about $380 more per year than the Standard Offer Service (13.27¢), based on ~860 kWh/month. The audit below checks your actual rate.
The worth-it line: for a switch to save at least $10/month at ~750 kWh, a supplier offer must be a fixed rate below 11.94¢/kWh — with no monthly fee and no cancellation fee. Offers between 11.94¢ and 13.27¢ technically "beat" the Standard Offer Service but save too little to justify contract risk. The full math, all utilities →
Pepco (Maryland) customer service & quick facts
The official ways to reach Pepco (Maryland) for outages, billing, and account help. RateWatchdog is independent and not affiliated with Pepco (Maryland) — these are the utility's own channels.
- Pay your bill
- Pay Pepco (Maryland) bill online →
Verified · confirm on Pepco (Maryland)'s siteHere to check if your rate is too high? Jump to the audit ↓
Is your supplier charging more?
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Where is this on my bill?
On your bill, find the supply rate in ¢/kWh. Your utility's standard rate is the “Standard Offer Service.” If your supplier charges more than that, you're overpaying.
Comparing suppliers against Pepco (Maryland)'s Standard Offer Service?
Maryland's official comparison tool is the Maryland OPC shopping guide, run by the Maryland OPC. Maryland is deregulated — our guide covers each utility's SOS benchmark and how to compare licensed supplier offers against it.
How to use the Maryland OPC shopping guide — the full guide →Is Pepco (Maryland) a monopoly? Can you switch?
For delivery, yes — it's a monopoly. Pepco (Maryland) is the only company that runs the poles and wires to homes in its territory, so you can't pick a different company to deliver your power. That part is a regulated monopoly: Pepco (Maryland), owned by Exelon (Pepco Holdings), can only charge what the MD PSC approves in a rate case.
The electricity itself, though, is open to competition. You can buy your supply from a third-party supplier, or do nothing and stay on Pepco (Maryland)'s default rate — the Standard Offer Service the MD PSC oversees. Switching suppliers doesn't change who delivers your power or who you call during an outage; it only changes the supply line on your bill. And if a supplier is charging more than the Standard Offer Service, you can drop it and return to that regulated rate, usually within one or two billing cycles — no fee to the utility.
How often does Pepco (Maryland)'s power go out?
Federal reliability data, reported by the utility to the U.S. government. SAIDI is the average total time a customer is without power in a year; SAIFI is the average number of outages.
In 2024, including major storms
1 hr 6 min
without power, across about 0.6 outages
What the average customer actually experienced.
On a typical day (storms excluded)
46 min
without power, across about 0.5 outages
Normal operations, with major event days removed.
For Pepco (Maryland), major storms drove roughly 29% of 2024's total outage time — the gap between the two numbers above is weather the utility couldn't fully control.
On normal-day reliability, Pepco (Maryland) is the most reliable of the 4 Maryland utilities we track — the range runs from 46 min (Pepco (Maryland)) to 2 hr 39 min (Potomac Edison) of typical-day outage time per year.
Source: U.S. EIA Form EIA-861, 2024 reliability data (IEEE 1366 standard), for Potomac Electric Power Co. eia.gov →
How often does Pepco (Maryland) disconnect customers for nonpayment?
Utilities report this to the federal government. It counts residential service disconnected for unpaid bills. A high rate isn't proof of wrongdoing — it's shaped by local poverty, climate, and how strong a state's shutoff-protection rules are, as much as by the utility itself.
Disconnections in 2024
12,611
times Pepco (Maryland) disconnected residential customers for nonpayment
Per 100 households
2.3
disconnections for every 100 residential customers it serves
That's the 2nd-lowest disconnection rate of the 4 Maryland utilities we track — the range runs from 2.1 per 100 (Potomac Edison) to 4.1 per 100 (Delmarva Power).
Counts disconnection events — one household can be shut off more than once. From Pepco (Maryland)'s own filings to the U.S. EIA (Form EIA-112, Residential Utility Disconnections Survey), first collected for 2024. eia.gov →
Where your bill money goes: how Pepco (Maryland) earns its profit
Because Pepco (Maryland) is a regulated monopoly, its profit isn't set by competing for customers — it's set by regulators. The MD PSC authorizes a target return on equity (around 9.5% to 10.5% for U.S. electric utilities) on the money it sinks into poles, wires, substations, and meters. It's a target, not a guarantee — a utility can earn above or below it — but a low-risk regulated monopoly reliably lands close. You pay that return back, plus the investment itself, through the delivery charge on every bill.
Pepco (Maryland) is owned by Exelon. In 2024, Exelon reported about $2.5 billion in net income — its profit across all of the utilities it owns, not Pepco (Maryland) alone. Source: Exelon's annual report (SEC Form 10-K, fiscal year 2024). SEC EDGAR →
That authorized return is set by regulators on the utility's investment — independently of how reliable the service is or how many customers are disconnected, the two measures above.
Rate cases & increases
- 9820 hearings
Pepco's current single-year Maryland base distribution rate case, filed Oct. 2025, seeking a $133 million increase based on a 10.5% requested ROE; the average residential bill would rise about $11.73/month. The case is pending — hearings were held in spring 2026 with a decision expected in summer 2026, and current rates are frozen until then.
Common questions about Pepco (Maryland)
- What is the Pepco electricity rate per kWh in Maryland?
- Pepco Maryland's Standard Offer Service (SOS) supply rate is 13.27¢/kWh for June–September 2026, stepping to 14.77¢ October 1 (source: Pepco's posted Price to Compare / MD PSC tariff). This is supply only; delivery and distribution charges (~5–8¢/kWh) are additional. Pepco's all-in Maryland residential rate runs approximately 18–20¢/kWh. Verify the current rate at pepco.com or the Maryland PSC website.
- Why is my Pepco bill so high?
- Pepco's Maryland Standard Offer Service rose about 12% in October 2024, driven by PJM capacity market costs. The PEPCO load zone — covering Montgomery and Prince George's counties plus D.C. — faces some of the region's highest delivery infrastructure costs given the dense suburban network. On the delivery side, Pepco has a separate distribution rate case (Case 9702) at the Maryland PSC. Supply and delivery are separate charges; Pepco earns no profit on the supply component.
- Can I switch from Pepco to save on my Maryland electric bill?
- Yes — Maryland is deregulated. Pepco MD's summer 2026 SOS is 13.27¢/kWh. Any licensed CRES offering a fixed rate below that with no cancellation fee and no monthly fee beats the Pepco default on supply. Check the Maryland OPC's supplier list at opc.maryland.gov. After verifying any offer there, also confirm it's in Pepco's service territory (Montgomery/Prince George's MD — separate from Pepco DC).
Why Pepco's Maryland Standard Offer Service rate went up — the PJM PEPCO zone
Pepco Maryland's Standard Offer Service (SOS) rate rose approximately 12% in October 2024 (from ~9.24¢ to 10.348¢/kWh), driven by higher PJM capacity market costs. The Maryland PSC approved the increase as part of the regular SOS supply procurement cycle.
The PEPCO load zone is one of PJM's more capacity-price-sensitive zones — it sits in the same tight corridor as BGE and the DC area, where both aging local generation and high import dependency make capacity costs more volatile. Pepco passes SOS supply through with no markup; every cent of the SOS increase is a wholesale market cost, not a utility profit.
Note: Pepco's Maryland SOS continued resetting into 2025. The 10.348¢ figure is the confirmed October 2024 rate — the most recently verified Maryland SOS figure. Check the Maryland PSC or Pepco.com for the current rate.
Can Pepco Maryland customers switch to a competitive electricity supplier?
Yes — Maryland is a deregulated electricity market. Pepco Maryland customers can choose a licensed Competitive Retail Electric Supplier (CRES) for the generation portion of their bill, with Pepco's current Standard Offer Service (SOS) as the benchmark.
Maryland's official comparison resource is the Office of People's Counsel (OPC) shopping guide, which lists BPU-certified suppliers for each utility territory. With Pepco MD's summer 2026 SOS at 13.27¢/kWh (14.77¢ from October 1), any fixed-rate CRES offer below the current figure with no monthly fees and no cancellation penalty represents a genuine supply saving.
Important nuance: Montgomery and Prince George's counties are among the highest-cost delivery areas in Maryland. The SOS is just the supply component — delivery and distribution charges (~5–8¢/kWh) are additional regardless of which supplier you choose.
Pepco (Maryland) service territory
Pepco (Potomac Electric Power Company) serves suburban Maryland — Montgomery and Prince George's counties — plus all of Washington, D.C. as a separate franchise. The Maryland service area covers DC's immediate suburbs, where electricity is delivered but generation is sold competitively.
- ▸ Maryland service counties: Montgomery County and Prince George's County
- ▸ Key cities: Rockville, Silver Spring, Bethesda, Gaithersburg, College Park, Bowie
- ▸ Maryland customers: approximately 280,000 (residential and commercial)
- ▸ Transmission connects directly to the PJM grid's PEPCO load zone — among the most capacity-cost-exposed zones in the region
What does a Pepco (Maryland) bill look like?
ESTIMATE — see note below.
| Bill component | At 750 kWh/month |
|---|---|
| Supply / generation (13.27¢/kWh) | $99.53 |
| Delivery, transmission & other riders | see note → |
⚠ Supply charge only — Pepco Maryland SOS 13.27¢/kWh (June–September 2026; 14.77¢ from October 1; source: Pepco posted PTC / MD PSC). Delivery charges (~5–8¢/kWh for Pepco Maryland) are additional. Pepco's all-in bills rank among the higher Maryland utilities. Verify current SOS at pepco.com.
Pepco (Maryland) rate alerts
Email alerts for Pepco (Maryland) are coming soon — we're setting them up with double opt-in and one-click unsubscribe, and we'll never sell your data. For now, this page and the Maryland hub track every active rate case.