PECO Energy Company
A regulated Pennsylvania utility that distributes electricity and natural gas across the Philadelphia region.
Last updated November 4, 2026
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Overview
PECO Energy Company is a regulated electricity and natural-gas distribution utility serving southeastern Pennsylvania. The company traces its origins to 1881 and was historically known as the Philadelphia Electric Company. Although its operating identity is strongly associated with the PECO name, its business is now conducted as a subsidiary of Exelon Corporation, one of the major U.S. energy companies. PECO's electric service territory includes the entire city of Philadelphia, all of Delaware County, most of Bucks, Chester, and Montgomery counties, and a small southeastern section of York County. Its natural-gas territory covers Delaware County, most of Bucks, Chester, and Montgomery counties, and a limited portion of eastern Lancaster County. The company is the largest combination electric and gas utility in Pennsylvania by the scale of the territory and customer base described in public reference material. It serves approximately 1.6 million electricity customers and more than 511,000 natural-gas customers, with a franchise area of about 2,100 square miles and a population of roughly 3.8 million people. PECO's primary role is delivery rather than the operation of a conventional retail generation business. It owns, maintains, and operates extensive electric distribution and transmission infrastructure, including underground and overhead distribution systems, higher-voltage transmission lines, substations, and related network equipment. Its gas operations include transmission, distribution, and service pipelines, natural-gas storage, a propane-air facility, and city-gate stations connected to interstate pipeline systems. The company is also a participant in the PJM Interconnection, the regional transmission organization coordinating wholesale electricity markets and grid operations across a large portion of the eastern United States. The utility's demand profile is shaped by the climate and demographics of the Philadelphia metropolitan region. Electricity demand generally rises during periods of extreme summer heat, when air-conditioning use increases, and during severe winter conditions. Natural-gas demand is concentrated in the winter heating season. Residential customers account for a substantial share of electricity deliveries and revenue, while residential gas use represents approximately half of total gas deliveries according to the cited reference material. PECO's corporate history includes a major transition in Pennsylvania's electricity market. The company operated for many years under retail rate caps and transition charges associated with the state's move toward competitive electricity generation. That transition period ended on December 31, 2010. Since then, PECO has procured wholesale electricity through competitive-market arrangements while continuing to operate the regulated delivery network. Customers therefore receive distribution service from PECO even when the underlying generation supply is obtained through market procurement or competitive suppliers. The company has also been part of public debates over nuclear power, renewable-energy procurement, and local economic development. Community activism in the 1970s and 1980s contributed to delays surrounding the Limerick Generating Station and temporarily halted plans for the second Limerick unit; both units were ultimately built and operating by 1990. In 2015, the Earth Quaker Action Team publicly pressed PECO to purchase more solar power and to direct solar investment toward North Philadelphia. These debates reflected broader questions about how a regulated utility should balance reliability, procurement costs, renewable-energy development, and community benefits. PECO's former Maryland operations were also reduced when Delmarva Power acquired the service territory of PECO subsidiary Conowingo Power Company in 1995. In 2000, PECO became part of Exelon after its combination with the holding company Unicom, the parent of Commonwealth Edison. Today, PECO…
History
PECO Energy Company originated in 1881 as the Philadelphia Electric Company, an enterprise created to develop and operate electric services in the Philadelphia area. The company was formally incorporated in 1929. Over the following decades, it expanded its electricity infrastructure and later added natural-gas distribution, becoming a combination utility serving a broad territory in southeastern Pennsylvania. The company's history is closely connected to the development of Philadelphia's industrial and urban infrastructure. Its predecessor operations constructed generating stations, substations, transmission facilities, and distribution networks that supported residential, commercial, and industrial growth. Several historic properties associated with the former Philadelphia Electric Company remain documented in architectural and engineering records, including Chester Waterside Station, built in 1916 and listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 2007. PECO's nuclear-power program became a focus of public controversy during the 1970s and 1980s. Community activists opposed or challenged the timing and development of nuclear facilities, contributing to delays at the Limerick Generating Station and the temporary cancellation of the planned Limerick 2 project. Both Limerick units were ultimately constructed and producing power by 1990. These disputes formed part of a wider national debate about nuclear safety, utility planning, environmental impacts, and the cost of large generation projects. The company also operated outside Pennsylvania for a period through Conowingo Power Company. On June 19, 1995, Delmarva Power acquired Conowingo's service territory in Cecil and Harford counties, Maryland. This transaction reduced PECO's geographic footprint and left the company more concentrated on southeastern Pennsylvania. A major corporate turning point came in 2000, when PECO became part of Exelon through a combination involving Unicom, the holding company of Commonwealth Edison. After the transaction, PECO continued operating as a regional utility brand while its corporate ownership, financial reporting, and strategic oversight became integrated into Exelon's broader structure. Pennsylvania's electric-market restructuring created another important transition. PECO's retail electricity rates had been capped for twelve years under the state's transition arrangements. The transition period ended on December 31, 2010, when the retail-rate caps and competitive-transition charges expired. From 2011 onward, PECO procured wholesale electricity through competitive-market sources while continuing to provide regulated transmission and distribution service. This separated the company's regulated delivery role from the competitive procurement of electricity supply. PECO's modern infrastructure includes high-voltage transmission lines, extensive underground and aerial electric distribution networks, gas transmission and service pipelines, a liquefied-natural-gas storage facility in West Conshohocken, a propane-air plant in Chester, and city-gate stations connected to interstate pipelines. The company also operates within PJM Interconnection, which coordinates grid reliability and wholesale electricity markets in the region. Renewable-energy procurement became a prominent public issue in 2015, when Earth Quaker Action Team challenged PECO to increase its solar purchases and invest in solar projects in North Philadelphia. The campaign argued that distributed solar could provide both environmental benefits and employment opportunities. The debate highlighted the competing expectations placed on a regulated utility: maintain reliable service and control procurement costs while accelerating renewable-energy adoption and delivering local economic benefits. PECO remains an active Exelon subsidiary and a major electric and natural-gas delivery company in Pennsylvania. Its principal responsibilities are maintaining the regional grid and gas network, connecting customers, responding to outages and emergencies, managing system capacity, and complying with state and regional regulatory requirements. Public reference material identifies approximately 2,300 employees, with call-center and field-craft personnel represented by IBEW Local 614. Current company-level financial results are generally reported through Exelon's consolidated filings rather than as a separately listed PECO security.
- 2015
Solar procurement campaign intensified
[1]Earth Quaker Action Team protested PECO's solar procurement levels and advocated sourcing renewable energy from North Philadelphia.
- 2010
Electricity transition period ended
[1]PECO's Pennsylvania electric-market transition period ended on December 31, removing the long-standing retail-rate caps and competitive-transition charges.
- 2000
PECO joined Exelon
[1]PECO became part of Exelon through a merger involving Unicom, the holding company of Commonwealth Edison.
- 1995
Conowingo service area transferred
[1]Delmarva Power acquired the Maryland service territory of PECO subsidiary Conowingo Power Company.
- 1990
Limerick nuclear units operating
[1]Following years of activism, delays, and planning disputes, both Limerick Generating Station units had been built and were producing power by 1990.
- 1929
Company incorporated
[1]The Philadelphia Electric Company was incorporated, formalizing the corporate entity that preceded PECO Energy Company.
- 1916
Chester Waterside Station constructed
[1]The Chester Waterside Station was constructed for the Philadelphia Electric Company. The facility was later recognized for its historic significance and placed on the National Register of Historic Places in 2007.
- 1881
Philadelphia Electric Company founded
[1]PECO traces its origins to the founding of the Philadelphia Electric Company, the predecessor of the present utility brand.
Products and positioning
Regional regulated energy-delivery utility serving southeastern Pennsylvania
Utility service
Electricity distribution
PECO distributes electricity throughout Philadelphia and surrounding southeastern Pennsylvania counties. Its network includes higher-voltage transmission facilities, underground distribution cable, aerial distribution lines, substations, and legacy two-phase infrastructure in portions of Philadelphia where replacement is impracticable. PECO's role is primarily regulated delivery and grid operation; electricity generation supply is procured through competitive-market arrangements.
Utility service
Natural gas distribution
PECO provides natural-gas delivery to Delaware County, most of Bucks, Chester, and Montgomery counties, and a small portion of eastern Lancaster County. The service depends on a network of transmission, distribution, and service pipelines connected to interstate supplies, supplemented by storage and peak-demand facilities.
Infrastructure operations
Energy infrastructure and reliability services
The PECO offering includes customer connections, outage response, maintenance, emergency restoration, system planning, and operation of electric and gas infrastructure. The company participates in PJM Interconnection and manages delivery assets required to maintain service reliability across its regulated franchise territory.
Marketing campaigns
- 2015Earth Quaker Action Team solar campaign
Philadelphia · Southeastern Pennsylvania
Earth Quaker Action Team pressured PECO to increase the amount of solar energy it purchased and to direct procurement toward North Philadelphia. The campaign connected renewable-energy sourcing with local employment and community investment, while challenging the utility's reliance on a relatively small share of solar energy in its portfolio.
Outcome. The campaign generated public pressure and debate over PECO's renewable procurement strategy; the cited material does not establish a definitive corporate policy outcome.
Brand decisions
2010
Complete the Pennsylvania electric-market transitionStrategyBackground
PECO's electricity retail rates had been capped for twelve years under Pennsylvania's restructuring and transition arrangements.
Action taken
The transition period ended on December 31, 2010, after which PECO procured wholesale electricity through competitive-market sources while continuing regulated delivery operations.
Aftermath
Customers continued to use PECO's distribution network, but electricity procurement was no longer governed by the former retail-rate caps and competitive-transition charges.
2000
Join Exelon through the Unicom combinationM&ABackground
PECO was historically an independent regional utility, while Unicom was the holding company associated with Commonwealth Edison.
Action taken
PECO became part of Exelon when it merged with Unicom.
Aftermath
PECO continued operating as a Pennsylvania utility brand under Exelon ownership, with corporate reporting and strategic control consolidated at the parent-company level.
Recent events
- 2015
Earth Quaker Action Team protested PECO's solar procurement[1]
Campaign · Regulation
Earth Quaker Action Team organized protests calling on PECO to purchase more solar energy and to source more of that power from North Philadelphia, linking renewable procurement with local job creation.
- 2000
PECO became part of Exelon through the Unicom combination[1]
M&A
PECO joined Exelon when it merged with Unicom, the holding company associated with Commonwealth Edison. The transaction placed PECO's Pennsylvania utility operations within the Exelon corporate group.
- 1995
Delmarva Power acquired PECO's Conowingo service territory[1]
M&A
Delmarva Power acquired the Maryland electricity service area operated by PECO subsidiary Conowingo Power Company, ending PECO's service to approximately 35,000 customers in portions of Cecil and Harford counties.
Sources1 sources
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