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Investor Owned · 396,593 residential customers · Maryland

Why is my Potomac Edison electric bill so high?

EIA respondent: The Potomac Edison Company. Reviewed October 14, 2026. Also searched as FirstEnergy.

In 2025, Potomac Edison reported 390,653 residential full service customers under the EIA name The Potomac Edison Company. Average revenue was 14.55¢ per kWh. The average monthly bill in that filing was $169.40 for 1,165 kWh.

14.55¢ is below Maryland's 2025 statewide residential average of 19.53¢. In July 2026 the state residential price was 21.41¢, versus 18.83¢ a year earlier (+13.7%). The utility number is a 2025 annual average. The state number is one later month. They answer different questions.

From 2024 to 2025, the average monthly bill for full service changed +12.1%. Average use changed +2.9% and average price changed +8.9%. Holding the 2024 price fixed, the usage change accounts for $4.40 a month. The price change, applied to 2025 usage, accounts for $13.92.

EIA Form 861, 2025 final · Reviewed October 14, 2026

EIA Electric Power Monthly, Table 5.6.A · Reviewed October 14, 2026

Full service

14.55¢

per kWh, 2025 average revenue

$169.40 / month at 1,165 kWh

Price +8.9% from 2024

Delivery only

4.08¢

per kWh, 2025 average revenue

$52.02 / month at 1,277 kWh

Price −1.1% from 2024

The rate on the record

Investor-owned base rates are usually set in a state docket. Riders can change outside a full rate case. Average revenue per kilowatt-hour is total residential revenue divided by residential sales. It is not a tariff schedule.

2025 residential averages by EIA service type
Service Customers Price Monthly use Monthly bill Vs 2024 price
Full service 390,653 14.55¢ 1,165 kWh $169.40 +8.9%
Delivery only 5,940 4.08¢ 1,277 kWh $52.02 −1.1%

EIA-861 sales to ultimate customers, 2025 final, compared with 2024 · Reviewed October 14, 2026

By state

State Service Customers Price Monthly bill
MD Full service 252,583 15.44¢ $172.04
WV Full service 138,070 13.10¢ $164.57
MD Delivery only 5,940 4.08¢ $52.02
Audit the full service average

Revenue 794,116.9 thousand dollars. Sales 5,459,629 MWh. Customers 390,653. Cents per kWh = revenue ÷ megawatt-hours × 100. Monthly bill = revenue × 1,000 ÷ customers ÷ 12.

Audit the delivery only average

Revenue 3,708.2 thousand dollars. Sales 90,991 MWh. Customers 5,940. Cents per kWh = revenue ÷ megawatt-hours × 100. Monthly bill = revenue × 1,000 ÷ customers ÷ 12.

Why a Potomac Edison bill moved

The price change was the larger piece

Hold a Potomac Edison household to the filing average and the monthly full service bill changed +12.1% between those two EIA years. Holding the 2024 price fixed, the usage change of +2.9% is worth $4.40 a month. The price change of +8.9%, from 13.35¢ to 14.55¢, is worth $13.92 on 2025 usage.

Below the Maryland average

14.55¢ per kWh is below Maryland's 2025 residential average of 19.53¢. July 2026 in the state was 21.41¢, versus 18.83¢ a year earlier (+13.7%). The utility figure is a full year of average revenue. The state figure is one later month. A household that uses more than 1,165 kWh will not land on $169.40.

One full-service average

390,653 residential customers were on Potomac Edison full service in 2025, at 14.55¢ per kWh. That average folds in the customer charge and whatever riders the utility booked as residential revenue. It is not the last block on a tiered tariff.

Season

The 2025 monthly average for this Potomac Edison service was 1,165 kWh, and the Maryland residential average was 945 kWh. A single month can sit far from either figure. Compare kilowatt-hours with the same month last year before you treat the whole increase as a rate hike.

Time-of-use is already on the EIA schedule

EIA's 2025 dynamic-pricing file shows residential time-of-use activity at Potomac Edison, with 2,201 residential customers enrolled in dynamic pricing. The expensive window is in the tariff, not in that enrollment count. Shifting a dishwasher or an EV charger only helps if you are actually on that schedule.

EIA-861 2025 and 2024 residential sales · Reviewed October 14, 2026

Rate cases and hikes

Needs verification No rate case for Potomac Edison has been reviewed for this page. Orders and pending dockets are public at Maryland Public Service Commission. Investor-owned base rates are usually set in a public docket. Municipal and cooperative rates may be set by a city or a co-op board instead. Which body sets this utility's rates needs verification.

Maryland Public Service Commission · Reviewed October 14, 2026

Assistance

LIHEAP is the federal bill program, and the state contact list is the place to start. A Potomac Edison income discount, medical baseline, or budget-billing rule was not retrieved from Maryland Public Service Commission. That offer needs verification.

LIHEAP program · State and territory contacts · Potomac Edison site

The company homepage is linked for navigation. Program rules on that site were not reviewed. Needs verification.

LIHEAP · Reviewed October 14, 2026

How to lower the bill

  1. Read the kilowatt-hours against this filing's average of 1,165 kWh a month. If your use is the thing that moved, the dollar total can rise on an unchanged rate.
  2. On the statement, separate the base energy charge from fuel or rider lines. A rider can move the total in a month when no new base-rate order exists.
  3. Match this month's weather to last year's same month. A mild comparison month makes an ordinary bill look like a hike.
  4. Start with LIHEAP for Maryland (https://www.acf.hhs.gov/ocs/map/liheap-map-state-and-territory-contact-listing). A Potomac Edison discount beyond that program needs verification.
  5. 2,201 residential customers were already on a dynamic price in the 2025 EIA file. If you are one of them, the window on the tariff is the lever. If you are not, calling the utility to discuss the schedule is the first step, not shifting load you are not being charged extra for.
  6. If the read is marked estimated, the next actual read can true the account up or down. The tariff rule for that true-up needs verification.

Full service at the 2025 average price

Monthly use Estimated bill
500 kWh $72.75
750 kWh $109.13
1,000 kWh $145.50
1,500 kWh $218.25
2,000 kWh $291.00

Usage times the average price. At very low use, a real bill is often higher because a fixed customer charge does not shrink. The tariff needs verification.

Delivery only at the 2025 average price

Monthly use Estimated bill
500 kWh $20.40
750 kWh $30.60
1,000 kWh $40.80
1,500 kWh $61.20
2,000 kWh $81.60

Usage times the average price. At very low use, a real bill is often higher because a fixed customer charge does not shrink. The tariff needs verification.

Open the estimator · Check two months of your own bill

Questions people ask

Why is my Potomac Edison electric bill so high?

In 2025, Potomac Edison reported 390,653 residential full service customers under the EIA name The Potomac Edison Company. Average revenue was 14.55¢ per kWh. The average monthly bill in that filing was $169.40 for 1,165 kWh. 14.55¢ is below Maryland's 2025 statewide residential average of 19.53¢. In July 2026 the state residential price was 21.41¢, versus 18.83¢ a year earlier (+13.7%). The utility number is a 2025 annual average. The state number is one later month. They answer different questions. From 2024 to 2025, the average monthly bill for full service changed +12.1%. Average use changed +2.9% and average price changed +8.9%. Holding the 2024 price fixed, the usage change accounts for $4.40 a month. The price change, applied to 2025 usage, accounts for $13.92.

What was Potomac Edison's average residential rate?

Using 2025 EIA-861 revenue and sales, the full service average was 14.55¢ per kWh. Average use was 1,165 kWh a month and the average bill was $169.40. This folds in whatever customer charges and riders the utility reported. It is not the marginal rate on your tariff.

Did Potomac Edison raise rates?

The full service average price changed +8.9% from 2024 to 2025, from 13.35¢ to 14.55¢. That is average revenue per kilowatt-hour, not a commission order. No 2025–2026 order for this utility was retrieved for this page. A separate rider can still move a single month.

What bill assistance can Potomac Edison customers ask about?

LIHEAP is the federal program for home energy bills (https://www.acf.hhs.gov/ocs/programs/liheap). Potomac Edison may also offer an income-qualified discount, budget billing, or a medical baseline. The current offer, income cutoff, and how to apply need verification on the utility site and with the state LIHEAP office and Maryland Public Service Commission.

Are data centers why this bill went up?

Large computing load is raising U.S. electricity demand, and regulators can later recover new generation and wires costs from customers. EIA has not published a dollar line that isolates data centers on this utility's residential bill. That pass-through needs verification.

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