Residential rates by utility (EIA-861, average all-in ¢/kWh)
| Utility | 2023 ¢/kWh | 2024 ¢/kWh | Customers (2024) | Ownership | vs state avg, $/yr |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Delaware Electric Cooperative | 14.96 | 14.22 | 104,839 | Co-op | -$227 |
| City of Milford | 14.22 | 15.17 | 7,169 | Municipal | -$124 |
| City of Dover | 14.81 | 15.52 | 21,601 | Municipal | -$87 |
| Town of Middletown | 16.00 | 17.12 | 9,071 | Municipal | +$87 |
| Delmarva Power | 15.73 | 17.23 | 275,018 | Investor-owned | +$98 |
| City of Newark | 16.70 | 18.99 | 11,888 | Municipal | +$289 |
Average price = residential revenue ÷ residential sales from each utility's federal EIA-861 filing (bundled service — supply + delivery + riders, not a quoted tariff rate). State average = 16.32¢/kWh, volume-weighted across these utilities (2024). Your distribution utility is fixed by address; these gaps measure what households in different territories actually paid. A further 31 competitive suppliers / solar lessors report energy-only or behind-the-meter sales in Delaware; their prices cover only part of the bill and are not comparable to the all-in figures above.
Can you choose your electric company in Delaware?
Electric supply choice: yes · Gas supply choice: no
Electric choice in Delmarva territory. No residential gas supply choice.
How to switch suppliers in Delaware (3 steps)
- Find the price to compare (default supply rate) on your utility bill — you only save when an offer beats it for the same period.
- Compare licensed supplier offers on the state's official shopping site: depsc.delaware.gov. Check term, early-exit fees, and whether the rate is fixed or variable.
- Sign up with the supplier — they handle the switch. Your utility still delivers the power, owns the wires, and responds to outages; only the supply line of the bill changes.
Heating: which fuel is cheapest per million BTU in Delaware?
| Fuel | Native price | As of | $ per MMBTU |
|---|---|---|---|
| Utility natural gas | $1.557 /therm | Feb 2026 | 15.57 |
| Propane | $3.731 /gal | Mar 30, 2026 | 40.80 |
| Heating oil (No. 2) | $5.913 /gal | Mar 30, 2026 | 42.69 |
| Electricity (resistance) | 16.27 ¢/kWh | Feb 2026 | 47.68 |
Utility natural gas is the cheapest heating fuel in Delaware at $15.57/MMBTU — heating oil costs 2.7× as much per BTU. Conversions: 1 kWh = 3,412 BTU; 1 therm = 100,000 BTU; heating oil 138,500 BTU/gal; propane 91,452 BTU/gal. Site-energy prices — appliance efficiency changes delivered-heat cost: a 95% AFUE gas furnace delivers heat near the gas figure, while a heat pump at seasonal COP 2.5–3 cuts the effective electric figure by 60–70%.
Electricity price trend, last 12 months
Delaware's average residential price went from 15.65¢/kWh in Feb '25 to 16.27¢/kWh in Feb '26 — up 4% year-over-year. The 12-month peak was 18.81¢ in Nov '25.
| Month | Feb '25 | Mar '25 | Apr '25 | May '25 | Jun '25 | Jul '25 | Aug '25 | Sep '25 | Oct '25 | Nov '25 | Dec '25 | Jan '26 | Feb '26 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| ¢/kWh | 15.65 | 16.71 | 17.97 | 18.13 | 18.16 | 16.58 | 16.82 | 18.12 | 18.31 | 18.81 | 17.12 | 16.51 | 16.27 |
Head-to-head utility comparisons in Delaware
- Delmarva Power vs Delaware Electric Cooperative — who's cheaper?
Questions people ask
- Who has the cheapest electricity in Delaware?
- Delaware Electric Cooperative, at an average 14.2 cents per kWh for 2024 among Delaware utilities with at least 50,000 customers (EIA-861). The most expensive, Delmarva Power, averaged 17.2 cents — a difference of about $325 per year at 10,800 kWh.
- Can I choose my electric company in Delaware?
- You cannot choose the utility that delivers power — that is set by your address. Delaware does allow residential supply choice: you may buy the supply portion from a licensed competitive supplier if it beats your utility's price to compare. The official shopping site is depsc.delaware.gov.
- Is gas or electric heat cheaper in Delaware?
- Per million BTU of site energy, utility natural gas was $15.57 (Feb 2026) versus $47.68 for electric resistance heat, $42.69 for heating oil. A heat pump delivering 2.5-3 units of heat per unit of electricity brings electric heating to roughly $16-19 per MMBTU.
- What is the average electric bill in Delaware?
- At Delaware's February 2026 average price of 16.27 cents/kWh and typical usage of 900 kWh per month, a household pays about $146 per month ($1757 per year) for electricity. Actual bills vary with usage, utility territory, and tariff.