Credit: iStock by Benedek
The heat wave is intense and so are the bills that follow. As Philadelphia-area residents grapple with record-breaking temperatures and skyrocketing electricity costs, PECO (Philadelphia Electric Company) has launched a $10 million customer relief fund that provides a one-time $500 grant to customers to assist with overdue electric bills.
The applications open on Monday, August 4, 2025, and are processed on a first-come, first-served basis. Families who earn between $48,547 to $96,450 annually are eligible for this grant, along with current PECO customers with overdue bills under $2,000.
The summer heat waves have resulted in a dramatic increase in demand, and electricity costs have risen sharply, with some customers seeing bills double from June to July. From January to June alone, PECO customers' bills increased by about 5.6% on average, with an additional roughly $8 increase starting June 1. Philadelphia residents have seen their monthly electric bills increase by $17 on average this summer.
Applications are available online at peco.com/relief, with the program administered by United Way of Greater Philadelphia and Southern New Jersey. The fund is entirely shareholder-funded through a donation from Exelon, PECO's parent company.
This initiative serves middle-income families that neither qualify for traditional assistance programs but have been struggling with rising energy costs. Pennsylvania Lieutenant Governor Austin Davis noted that the program "targets those who far too often fall between the cracks – hard-working families who make too much to qualify for assistance, but not enough to be financially secure." A forecasted 17,000 households could be helped with this initiative.
To qualify, customers must be current PECO residential electric or natural gas customers with household incomes between 151% and 300% of the federal poverty level, have not received a grant from this program previously, and have no theft-of-service charges on their account in the past year.
PECO President and CEO David Vahos emphasized the company's commitment to the community, stating, "We know that customers are struggling, especially amid the latest heat wave". The program represents critical relief as electricity prices are expected to continue rising nationwide through at least 2026.
