Energy choice · Washington, D.C.
DC energy choice: how to compare suppliers against Pepco's default rate
Compare any offer on DC Power Connect — the PSC's own tool — against Pepco's current published Price to Compare (17.63¢/kWh, annual average, effective with July 2026 billing). A fixed offer below that with no fees is a real saving; anything pitched at your door deserves a default no.
How electricity choice works in Washington, D.C.
D.C. opened its electricity market under the Retail Electric Competition and Consumer Protection Act of 2000. Pepco remains the only distribution utility — it delivers every kilowatt-hour, reads the meters, and restores outages — while licensed competitive suppliers can sell you the electricity itself. Do nothing and you're on Pepco's Standard Offer Service (SOS), procured competitively under D.C. PSC oversight and passed through with no markup.
The benchmark to beat: Pepco's published Price to Compare is 17.63¢/kWh (annual average including riders) for the June 2026 – May 2027 year, effective with July 2026 billing per D.C. PSC Order 22869. Any supplier offer should be measured against that figure — fixed rate, full term, no monthly fee, no cancellation fee. (An earlier version of this guide said D.C. lacked an official comparison site; in fact DC Power Connect is exactly that, and we've corrected it.)
DC Power Connect: the PSC's own comparison tool
DC Power Connect (dcpowerconnect.com) is the D.C. Public Service Commission's official shopping site — it lists licensed suppliers' current offers for the District so you can compare them against the SOS on standardized terms. Like every commission-run tool, it earns nothing from your choice, which makes it the only neutral place to compare.
The practical rules don't change because the tool exists: teaser rates that roll to variable are still the main trap, a monthly fee still erases a thin advertised advantage, and any offer that can't be found on DC Power Connect deserves heavy skepticism. If a supplier goes out of business or you cancel, you return to Pepco's SOS automatically.
Check your own bill first (2 minutes, free)
Find the supply rate on your bill and compare it to your utility's Standard Offer Service. If a supplier is charging more, you're overpaying for identical electricity — and you can switch back. Our audit runs on your device; we never see your numbers, and we never try to switch you.
Check my rateHow choice works in Washington, D.C.
Your utility always handles delivery — the wires and the outages — and you can't shop that part. What you can shop is the supply: the electricity itself. Do nothing and you stay on the default rate, the Standard Offer Service (SOS). Pepco's Standard Offer Service is procured under D.C. PSC oversight; the current published Price to Compare covers June 2026 – May 2027.
Washington, D.C.'s official, commission-run resource is DC Power Connect. It's a neutral, no-commission comparison tool — the only place worth shopping. One catch: it shows a plan's intro rate, not the variable rate it can roll into later, so read the contract's terms box before you sign.
- Washington, D.C. is served entirely by Pepco for delivery, and Standard Offer Service is a no-markup pass-through — so the bar a supplier has to clear is the wholesale price plus nothing.
- D.C. DOES have an official comparison tool: DC Power Connect (dcpowerconnect.com), developed by the D.C. Public Service Commission. Compare any offer there — not against a door or phone pitch.
Step-by-step: we wrote a full guide to using DC Power Connect — what each column means, the three contract terms to check, and the math to do before switching. Read the DC Power Connect guide →
Washington, D.C.'s utilities — the rate to beat
This is the Standard Offer Service for each Washington, D.C. utility we track — the number a supplier offer has to beat. A "deal" above these is costing you money for the same electricity.
| Utility | SOS | Last reviewed |
|---|---|---|
| Pepco (D.C.) | 17.63¢/kWh |
Rates change on a schedule — always confirm the current figure on your bill or your utility's site before deciding.
Before you shop, know the traps
The same handful of tactics show up in every choice state: a teaser rate that flips to a variable one, an early-termination fee paired with a variable rate, monthly fees hiding behind a low headline rate, green-energy upsells, and "your utility sent me" pitches at the door. We break down each one — and the rule that cuts through all of them — in the main guide.
Read the full traps breakdown →Common questions
- Is it worth switching electricity suppliers in Washington, D.C.?
- Compare any offer on DC Power Connect — the PSC's own tool — against Pepco's current published Price to Compare (17.63¢/kWh, annual average, effective with July 2026 billing). A fixed offer below that with no fees is a real saving; anything pitched at your door deserves a default no. The only offer worth taking is a fixed rate, for the full term, with no monthly fee, that beats your Standard Offer Service — and you compare it on DC Power Connect, not off a phone or door pitch.
- What is the Standard Offer Service in Washington, D.C.?
- It's the per-kWh rate your utility charges for default electricity supply — the SOS — and it's the number any supplier offer has to beat to actually save you money. Your utility buys that power at a wholesale auction and bills it through with no markup. Pepco's Standard Offer Service is procured under D.C. PSC oversight; the current published Price to Compare covers June 2026 – May 2027.
- Will switching suppliers in Washington, D.C. change my service or reliability?
- No. Your utility still owns the wires, reads your meter, and handles outages regardless of who supplies your electricity. Switching only changes the supply line on your bill, and if a supplier goes out of business you're moved back to the default rate automatically.
- Can I choose my electricity supplier in Washington, D.C.?
- Yes — D.C. opened retail electric competition in 2000. Pepco always delivers the power and handles outages, but you can buy the supply portion from a licensed competitive supplier, or do nothing and stay on Pepco's Standard Offer Service (SOS). The official comparison tool is DC Power Connect (dcpowerconnect.com), run by the D.C. Public Service Commission.
- What is Pepco's Standard Offer Service rate in D.C.?
- Pepco's published Price to Compare for D.C. is 17.63¢/kWh — an annual average including riders — for the June 2026 – May 2027 SOS year, effective with July 2026 billing (D.C. PSC Formal Case 1017, Order 22869). That's the supply-only benchmark any competitive offer has to beat; delivery charges are additional and unchanged by switching.
- Is DC Power Connect legitimate?
- Yes — DC Power Connect (dcpowerconnect.com) is the shopping comparison tool developed by the D.C. Public Service Commission, the District's utility regulator. It earns nothing from your choice. Treat marketing that borrows official-sounding language ('from the PSC,' 'from Pepco') with skepticism — the regulator runs a website, not a door-to-door sales force.
RateWatchdog takes no supplier commissions and never enrolls or switches anyone. See the full energy-choice guide →