Delmarva Power in Maryland: rates per kWh and why bills run high
Delmarva Power's 181,839 default-service customers in Maryland paid an average of 21.81¢ per kWh in 2025, for an average bill of $214.05 a month on 981 kWh.1 Over the last 12 months (Sep 2025–Aug 2026) the average was 22.68¢, and 23.00¢ in August 2026.2 Another 5,975 homes on its wires (3.2%) buy their supply elsewhere and pay Delmarva Power delivery charges averaging 9.06¢ per kWh, plus their supplier's price.
EIA-861 2025 final (released October 7, 2026) and EIA's monthly utility survey through August 2026 (preliminary); next monthly update expected November 24, 2026. Averages are revenue divided by kWh, all charges included: not the rate printed in a tariff.
10 of 24 Maryland counties served (EIA-861 2025)
Delmarva Power's Standard Offer Service homes in Maryland paid an average of 21.81¢ per kWh in 2025, the highest of the state's 71 larger utilities. They also use more electricity than BGE or Pepco homes, so the average bill over the 12 months September 2025 to August 2026 reached $227.042, even though Delmarva's price rose more slowly than its neighbours' and Pepco's 12-month average passed it.
Three readings of the same price
Delmarva Power & Light Company delivers electricity to 187,814 homes in Maryland, 7.6% of the state's residential customers. In 2025, 181,8391 of them also bought their power from Delmarva on Standard Offer Service, the default supply for anyone without a contract with a licensed supplier. The prices on this page describe that group.
| Period | Average residential price | What it is |
|---|---|---|
| 2025, full year | 21.81¢ per kWh1 | EIA-861, final annual figure |
| 12 months, September 2025 to August 2026 | 22.68¢ per kWh | EIA-861M; months from January 2026 preliminary |
| August 20263 only | 23.00¢ per kWh | EIA-861M, preliminary; +6.2%2 on August 2025 |
All three are average revenue per kWh, which EIA derives by dividing Delmarva's residential Standard Offer revenue (customer charge, distribution, supply and riders; most taxes excluded) by residential kWh sold. The tariff prints no such number. Small users pay more per kWh than this average once the customer charge is counted, large users less.
Nationally, the 2025 average placed Delmarva's Maryland side 26th highest of 177 large utilities, and 22.7% above the national average for investor-owned utilities. The median of those 177 utilities was 15.07¢ per kWh1.
The top of Maryland's range in 2025, but not in the last 12 months
Among Maryland utilities with 10,000 or more Standard Offer or full-service homes, Delmarva's 2025 average was the highest, 11.7% above the Maryland average. Pepco was close behind at 21.74¢ per kWh and BGE at 20.19¢ per kWh, while SMECO (16.43¢ per kWh) and Potomac Edison (15.44¢ per kWh) were far lower. The lowest average in the group, 11.23¢ per kWh1, was at the Hagerstown Light Department.
Source: EIA-861 annual electric power industry report, 2025 final. EIA-861 2025 final. Average revenue per kWh is all charges divided by kWh; it is not a tariff rate.
Show the numbers
| Utility | average residential price (bundled customers) |
|---|---|
| Potomac Edison (MD) | 15.44¢ |
| SMECO (MD) | 16.43¢ |
| BGE (MD) | 20.19¢ |
| Pepco (MD) | 21.74¢ |
| Delmarva Power (MD) | 21.81¢ |
Delmarva's price has been rising more slowly than its neighbours'. From 2024 to 2025 its average went up 7.9%, from 20.22¢ per kWh4, against +12.7% at BGE, +11.6% at Potomac Edison and +8.3%1 at Pepco. Over the 12 months September 2025 to August 2026, Pepco's average of 23.35¢ per kWh was above Delmarva's 22.68¢ per kWh, with BGE at 22.26¢ per kWh. The August 20263 comparison with a year earlier followed the same pattern: +6.2% at Delmarva, +9.3% at Pepco and +8.6%2 at BGE. Monthly figures from 2026 are preliminary.
Source: EIA-861M monthly sales and revenue by utility; EIA, Electric Power Monthly / EIA-861M sales and revenue by state. Residential revenue divided by kWh in each month, as reported to EIA's monthly survey (EIA-861M; months since January 2026 preliminary). Bundled (default-service) customers only.
Show the numbers
| Month | Delmarva Power (¢/kWh) | kWh per customer | Bill per customer |
|---|---|---|---|
| January 2025 | 21.37¢ | 1,581 | $337.93 |
| February 2025 | 21.44¢ | 1,197 | $256.55 |
| March 2025 | 21.79¢ | 999 | $217.73 |
| April 2025 | 22.28¢ | 723 | $161.12 |
| May 2025 | 22.09¢ | 650 | $143.61 |
| June 2025 | 21.44¢ | 774 | $165.94 |
| July 2025 | 21.25¢ | 1,233 | $261.91 |
| August 2025 | 21.66¢ | 987 | $213.83 |
| September 2025 | 22.21¢ | 815 | $180.98 |
| October 2025 | 22.51¢ | 631 | $141.96 |
| November 2025 | 22.57¢ | 769 | $173.63 |
| December 2025 | 22.04¢ | 1,436 | $316.60 |
| January 2026 | 23.12¢ | 1,490 | $344.51 |
| February 2026 | 22.51¢ | 1,405 | $316.34 |
| March 2026 | 22.89¢ | 963 | $220.50 |
| April 2026 | 22.97¢ | 708 | $162.65 |
| May 2026 | 23.25¢ | 680 | $158.06 |
| June 2026 | 22.74¢ | 869 | $197.52 |
| July 2026 | 22.53¢ | 1,126 | $253.75 |
| August 2026 | 23.00¢ | 1,109 | $255.13 |
Why Delmarva's bill is larger than its neighbours'
A Delmarva home in Maryland used 981 kWh a month on average in 2025, against 878 kWh at BGE and 835 kWh at Pepco. A similar price applied to more kWh produced the largest average bill of the three: $214.05, against $177.19 and $181.58. The Maryland average across all utilities was $184.425. SMECO and Potomac Edison homes used even more electricity (1,171 kWh and 1,114 kWh), but their lower prices kept their bills at $192.34 and $172.041.
Source: EIA-861 annual electric power industry report, 2025 final. EIA-861 2025 final. Average revenue per kWh is all charges divided by kWh; it is not a tariff rate.
Show the numbers
| Utility | average monthly residential use |
|---|---|
| Pepco (MD) | 835 |
| BGE (MD) | 878 |
| Delmarva Power (MD) | 981 |
| Potomac Edison (MD) | 1,114 |
| SMECO (MD) | 1,171 |
Use per home also grew, from 943 kWh in 2024, so the bill rose faster than the price: +12.2%1, from $190.784. Over the 12 months September 2025 to August 2026 the average bill was $227.04 for 1,001 kWh, against $216.31 at SMECO, $199.42 at BGE and $196.052 at Pepco.
January bills, October bills
The year's largest bills come in winter. In EIA's monthly data for the 12 months September 2025 to August 2026, use per home ranged from 631 kWh in October 2025 to 1,490 kWh in January 2026, and the average bill in those two months from $141.96 to $344.51. BGE's January average was $252.01 and Pepco's $241.742. A household budgeting by the annual average will see its largest bills arrive after the holidays.
Source: EIA-861M monthly sales and revenue by utility. kWh per residential customer in each month (EIA-861M; months since January 2026 preliminary). The table adds the average bill and price for the month.
Show the numbers
| Month | kWh per customer | Bill per customer | ¢/kWh |
|---|---|---|---|
| September 2025 | 815 | $180.98 | 22.21¢ |
| October 2025 | 631 | $141.96 | 22.51¢ |
| November 2025 | 769 | $173.63 | 22.57¢ |
| December 2025 | 1,436 | $316.60 | 22.04¢ |
| January 2026 | 1,490 | $344.51 | 23.12¢ |
| February 2026 | 1,405 | $316.34 | 22.51¢ |
| March 2026 | 963 | $220.50 | 22.89¢ |
| April 2026 | 708 | $162.65 | 22.97¢ |
| May 2026 | 680 | $158.06 | 23.25¢ |
| June 2026 | 869 | $197.52 | 22.74¢ |
| July 2026 | 1,126 | $253.75 | 22.53¢ |
| August 2026 | 1,109 | $255.13 | 23.00¢ |
Who sets the price
The bill has two parts, priced separately. Distribution charges are set by the Maryland Public Service Commission in rate cases. Delmarva's current distribution rates come from a multi-year plan the Commission approved under a pilot program; on October 1, 2026 the Commission announced it had concluded that pilot, finding its goals largely unmet, and opened a review of how future rate plans should work.
The supply part follows wholesale markets. According to the Commission, utilities buy Standard Offer Service electricity from wholesale suppliers through competitive bids it oversees. Delmarva's peninsula territory sits in the PJM capacity market, and in January 2026 the Commission welcomed a federal appeals court decision on its complaint about capacity costs charged to Delmarva customers; the court sent the complaint back to federal regulators, and the outcome is still open.
EIA's next monthly release, with September 2026 data, is due November 24, 2026. The guide to rate cases explains how decisions reach a bill.
Eastern Shore and upper Bay counties
Delmarva reported Maryland customers in 10 counties in 2025: Caroline County, Cecil County, Dorchester County, Harford County, Kent County, Queen Anne's County, Somerset County, Talbot County, Wicomico County and Worcester County6. In every one of them at least one other utility also reported service, so a county or ZIP code does not settle which company delivers to a home; the utilities' own service maps decide by address.
Source: EIA-861 2025, service territory; Census Bureau, Cartographic boundary file, counties. EIA-861 2025 service territory: 10 counties. Counts whole counties even where the utility serves only part of one; check the utility's own service-area map for an address.
Show the numbers
| County | Other utilities reporting service |
|---|---|
| Caroline County | Choptank Electric Cooperative |
| Cecil County | Choptank Electric Cooperative |
| Dorchester County | Choptank Electric Cooperative |
| Harford County | BGE |
| Kent County | Choptank Electric Cooperative |
| Queen Anne's County | Choptank Electric Cooperative |
| Somerset County | Choptank Electric Cooperative, A & N Electric Cooperative |
| Talbot County | Choptank Electric Cooperative, Easton Utilities Comm |
| Wicomico County | Choptank Electric Cooperative |
| Worcester County | Choptank Electric Cooperative, Town of Berlin |
The same company serves Delaware under a separate tariff and regulator. Its Delaware customers paid less per kWh in 2025 (18.16¢ per kWh) and used less (890 kWh a month), so their average bill was $161.72, against $214.051 on the Maryland side.
Homes that buy supply elsewhere
Few Delmarva customers in Maryland shop for supply, and the Maryland Public Service Commission's enrollment reports show participation across Maryland's investor-owned utilities and SMECO dropping from 11.6% in December 2024 to 0.08% in September 20268. In 2025, 5,975 Maryland homes on Delmarva's wires had a licensed supplier, 3.2% of its residential customers, against 6.3% at BGE and 5.0% at Pepco. For those homes Delmarva's revenue covers the wires alone: an average of 9.06¢ per kWh (+3.4% since 2024's 8.76¢ per kWh4), which came to $100.83 a month at 1,113 kWh of use. For comparison, BGE's delivery-only average was 7.40¢ per kWh and Potomac Edison's 4.08¢ per kWh1.
Across Maryland, supplier customers paid 13.27¢ per kWh1 for the energy itself in 2025, averaged over every supplier and contract; that is history, not a price anyone is offering now. The delivery-only figure, this supply-only figure and the Standard Offer average each describe a different group of customers and a different slice of the bill, and summing them would not give a meaningful total. The Maryland retail choice guide explains how to compare an offer with Standard Offer Service.
Peak-day rebates, rooftop solar and outages
On EIA's 2025 form, Delmarva counted 129,180 Maryland homes in a time-varying program, 68.8% of residential customers, close to Pepco's 70.7%. The program type is critical peak rebates. Under a rebate the standard price stays in place all day; a home that uses less on a called peak day gets money back on its bill, and one that does nothing pays no penalty. With 99.7%9 of residential meters advanced, hourly readings are available to measure that. The time-of-use guide sets out the difference.
Rooftop solar is less common here than in Pepco's suburbs: 7,223 residential net-metered installations (68.3 megawatts), or 38.5 per 1,000 customers, against 71.1 at Pepco and 58.29 at SMECO.
Reliability was better than the state as a whole. Under IEEE 1366 definitions, Delmarva's Maryland customers averaged 114 minutes of outages in 2025 with storms included, fewer than the Maryland average of 184 minutes; without major event days the total was 66 minutes, and the average customer had 0.93 interruptions. Potomac Edison's figure with storms was 399 minutes10.
Businesses and help with bills
Business prices on full service are close to the residential one. In 2025, commercial customers averaged 21.43¢ per kWh, the 39 industrial accounts 19.11¢ per kWh, and all classes together 21.74¢ per kWh1.
For households struggling with winter bills, federal LIHEAP funding for Maryland was $84.8 million11 in fiscal 2026; the guide to help paying an electric bill covers how to apply.
Delmarva Power Maryland: common questions
What is Delmarva Power's rate per kWh in Maryland?
The tariff has several parts (a customer charge, distribution charges, the Standard Offer Service supply charge and riders), so there is no single rate. All of them together, divided by the kWh used by residential Standard Offer Service customers, averaged 21.81¢ per kWh1 in 2025, 22.68¢ per kWh over the 12 months September 2025 to August 2026 and 23.00¢ per kWh2 in August 20263, a preliminary figure.
What is the average Delmarva Power bill in Maryland?
$214.05 a month in 2025 for 981 kWh1, up from $190.784 in 2024. Over the 12 months September 2025 to August 2026 it averaged $227.04, from $141.96 in October 2025 to $344.51 in January 20262.
Did Delmarva Power raise rates in Maryland?
The residential average rose 7.9%1 from 2024 to 2025, and the August 20263 average was +6.2%2 against the same month a year earlier. Distribution charges are set by the Maryland Public Service Commission; the Standard Offer Service supply price follows wholesale bids the Commission oversees.
Can Delmarva Power customers in Maryland choose another supplier?
Yes. Delmarva still delivers the power and bills for delivery, while a licensed supplier can provide the electricity itself. EIA's 2025 survey counted 3.2%1 of its Maryland residential customers doing so; by September 2026 the Maryland Public Service Commission's enrollment reports put residential supplier participation across Maryland's investor-owned utilities and SMECO at 0.08%8.
Related pages
Sources
- EIA-861 annual electric power industry report, 2025 final; table Sales_Ult_Cust_2025; 2025, final; released October 7, 2026. www.eia.gov
- EIA-861M monthly sales and revenue by utility; table sales_ult_cust_2025 and _2026; released October 23, 2026. www.eia.gov
- EIA, Electric Power Monthly / EIA-861M sales and revenue by state; table sales_revenue.xlsx (EPM Table 5.6.A); January 2001 to 2026-08; months since January 2026 preliminary; released October 23, 2026. www.eia.gov
- EIA-861 annual electric power industry report, 2024 final; table Sales_Ult_Cust_2024; 2024, final (file updated December 3, 2025); released December 3, 2025. www.eia.gov
- EIA-861 2025, average monthly bill by state; table Average_Bill_2025; 2025, final; released October 7, 2026. www.eia.gov
- EIA-861 2025, service territory; table Service_Territory_2025; 2025, final; released October 7, 2026. www.eia.gov
- Census Bureau, Cartographic boundary file, counties; table cb_2025_us_county_5m; cb_2021_us_county_5m; 2025 (2021 for Connecticut). www.census.gov
- Maryland PSC, Electric Choice Enrollment monthly reports; September 2026. psc.maryland.gov
- EIA-861 2025, advanced meters, dynamic pricing and net metering; table Advanced_Meters, Dynamic_Pricing, Net_Metering 2025; 2025, final; released October 7, 2026. www.eia.gov
- EIA-861 2025, reliability; table Reliability_2025; 2025, final; released October 7, 2026. www.eia.gov
- HHS, LIHEAP funding releases to states; table FY2027 first release; FY2026 final; FY2027 first release (October 9, 2026); FY2026 total; released October 9, 2026. acf.gov
How every figure is built: methodology. Found an error? Write to [email protected]; corrections are listed on the updates page.