18.39¢
per kWh, 2025
[ JCP&L / NJ · ER26080420 ]
JCP&L: 8.8% requested for 1,047,687 New Jersey homes
PENDING · DECISION MAY 2027 · 202 DAYS
rate increase requested
20.01¢
per kWh if approved
202
days to decision
+43.1%
since 2020
What your bill becomes
Bill today
After the increase
Difference / month · / year
Estimated at JCP&L's average effective residential rate (18.39¢/kWh, EIA, all charges included). Your tariff, fees and taxes differ.
Rate case ER26080420
Pending Docket ER26080420 ↗
- Aug 2026Filed with the commission as docket ER26080420
- May 2027Decision expected · 202 days
Jersey Central Power & Light filed a base rate case with the New Jersey Board of Public Utilities on August 6, 2026, seeking a $253 million net increase in distribution revenue plus a separate charge to recover about $476 million of deferred storm costs over 10 years. JCP&L says residential customers would see a total bill impact of about 8.8%, or $14.23 a month on a typical 767 kWh bill of $162.30, while the base increase alone is about 7%. The company cites $1.5 billion of reliability investment over three years and asks for a 10.2% return on equity, up from 9.6%. It proposes new base rates from May 6, 2027 but with offsets that would keep residential bills from changing until January 2028; the board has not ruled.
Rate history 2015–2025
| Year | ¢/kWh | Change | Customers |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2015 | 13.34¢ | — | 977,420 |
| 2016 | 13.36¢ | +0.1% | 983,838 |
| 2017 | 13.46¢ | +0.8% | 991,519 |
| 2018 | 13.32¢ | −1.0% | 999,618 |
| 2019 | 13.14¢ | −1.4% | 1,006,549 |
| 2020 | 12.85¢ | −2.2% | 1,012,837 |
| 2021 | 13.19¢ | +2.6% | 1,017,987 |
| 2022 | 13.60¢ | +3.1% | 1,023,019 |
| 2023 | 14.00¢ | +2.9% | 1,030,238 |
| 2024 | 15.65¢ | +11.8% | 1,038,258 |
| 2025 | 18.39¢ | +17.5% | 1,047,687 |
How this compares
22.48¢
New Jersey average, 2025
−18.2%
JCP&L vs NJ 2025 average
+6.7%
vs US 2025 average
#5
priciest in NJ
JCP&L files with the EIA as Jersey Central Power & Lt Co (utility ID 9726).
Serves 13 counties in New Jersey: Burlington, Essex, Hunterdon, Mercer, Middlesex, Monmouth, Morris, Ocean, Passaic, Somerset, Sussex, Union, Warren. 298 ZIP codes.
Questions
Is JCP&L raising rates?
JCP&L filed docket ER26080420 with the New Jersey Board of Public Utilities in Aug 2026 asking for a 8.8% increase (average residential increase), about $253M a year. The commission is expected to decide by May 2027.
How much more would I pay JCP&L each month?
At New Jersey's average use of 670 kWh, a bill of about $123.21 would become about $134.05 if the full 8.8% is approved. Commissions usually approve less than the request.
What does JCP&L charge per kWh?
JCP&L's average effective residential rate was 18.39¢ per kWh in 2025 (EIA-861, revenue divided by sales, all charges included). New Jersey's 2025 average was 22.48¢.
How much have JCP&L rates gone up in five years?
+43.1% between 2020 and 2025, against +48.7% for New Jersey as a whole over the latest five-year window.
How many customers does JCP&L have in New Jersey?
1,047,687 residential customers in 2025, across 13 counties including Burlington, Essex, Hunterdon, according to the EIA-861 survey.
Where do these numbers come from?
Rates and customer counts are from the US Energy Information Administration's annual EIA-861 survey; rate-case facts are from the New Jersey Board of Public Utilities docket linked on this page. Nothing here is a utility bill; use it to understand the direction and size of changes.
Sources
Last verified 2026-10-16
- FirstEnergy: JCP&L 2026 base rate case filing summary (filed 8/6/26, Docket ER26080420) checked 2026-10-16
- FirstEnergy news release: JCP&L rate proposal delays bill impact for residential customers until 2028 checked 2026-10-16
- WRNJ Radio: 9th District lawmakers urge BPU to reject JCP&L proposed rate increase (Aug 13, 2026) checked 2026-10-16
- EIA-861 Sales to Ultimate Customers, 2015–2025 (released 2026-10-07)
- EIA-861M monthly state averages through Jul 2026
- NREL utility-by-ZIP lookup (2024)