Contact Smethport Electric

Customer service (Borough Hall)

814-887-5749

Monday to Friday, 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. ET.

Outage / after-hours

814-887-5749

After hours, the borough line routes to on-call crews. If a wire is down or anyone is hurt, dial 911 first.

Office address

224 W State Street, Smethport, PA 16749

Walk-in and mail-in payments at Smethport Borough Hall.

Mailing

PO Box 427, Smethport, PA 16749

Mail check payments to the borough PO box.

Utility fact sheet

Type
Municipal electric (borough-owned)
Established
1893
Population served
~1,600 residents
County
McKean County, PA
Service area
Borough of Smethport only
Retail choice?
No (municipal utility)
Rate structure
Single bundled rate
Governance
Smethport Borough Council

What you can do here

  • 1

    Start, stop or transfer service

    Call 814-887-5749 or stop by Borough Hall at 224 W State Street. A small connect fee and ID are required.

  • 2

    Pay your bill

    Mail a check to PO Box 427, Smethport PA 16749, drop a check at Borough Hall, or pay in person during office hours.

  • 3

    Report an outage

    Call the borough line at 814-887-5749. After hours the call routes to the on-call electric crew.

All Pennsylvania utilities

About Smethport Electric Department

Smethport Electric Department is a borough-owned municipal electric utility, established in 1893 and run by the Borough of Smethport, the county seat of McKean County in northern Pennsylvania. The department is one of the oldest municipal electric systems in the state, predating the formation of most of today's IOUs. It serves the borough's roughly 1,600 residents and the small commercial base on Main Street and West State Street.

Because Smethport is a municipal, it sits outside Pennsylvania's retail-choice market. Smethport households cannot pick a competitive EGS on PAPowerSwitch.com, the way IOU customers can. Instead, the borough buys wholesale power on the regional market (within the PJM Interconnection footprint) and resells it to residents at a single bundled rate set by the Borough Council, with no separate supply and delivery line items.

Day-to-day operations run out of Smethport Borough Hall, 224 W State Street, Smethport PA 16749. The same staff handles billing, new connections, meter reads and dispatches the on-call crew that responds to outages. Mailed payments should be sent to PO Box 427. The not-for-profit structure is what keeps the bundled rate roughly 10 to 25% below what nearby West Penn Power or Penelec customers pay.

How to pay your Smethport Electric bill

By mail

Mail a check or money order to PO Box 427, Smethport, PA 16749, payable to Borough of Smethport.

In person

Cash, check or money order at Smethport Borough Hall, Monday to Friday 8 a.m. to 4 p.m.

Drop box

After-hours drop box at the front of Borough Hall for check or money-order payments.

By phone

Call 814-887-5749 during office hours to arrange payment by debit or credit card.

Frequently asked questions

Can I switch to a competitive supplier on Smethport's lines?
No. Pennsylvania's retail-choice market applies only to the 7 investor-owned utilities (PPL, PECO, Duquesne, Met-Ed, Penelec, Penn Power, West Penn). Smethport is a municipal electric utility owned by the borough, which buys wholesale power directly and bills a single bundled rate. The trade-off is that Smethport's bundled rate runs roughly 10 to 25% below the nearby West Penn Power or Penelec equivalent.
How do I start service when I move into Smethport?
Call 814-887-5749 or stop by Borough Hall at 224 W State Street at least 2 business days before your move-in date. Bring photo ID, your move-in date and the service address. A small connect fee and possibly a deposit apply to tenants without a prior payment history with the borough.
Why are Smethport's rates lower than West Penn Power's?
Three reasons. Smethport is not-for-profit (no shareholder return baked into the rate), its distribution system is small and largely depreciated after more than a century of service, and the borough buys wholesale power directly rather than through a six-month default-supply auction with risk premium. The trade-off is a much smaller crew for storm restoration and no retail-choice option.
Who do I call for a downed power line?
Call 814-887-5749. After business hours the line routes to the on-call electric crew. If anyone is hurt or a wire is on the ground, dial 911 first. Do not approach a downed line; assume it is energized.
Does the PA PUC regulate Smethport's rates?
No. The Pennsylvania PUC regulates the 7 IOUs. Municipal electric utilities like Smethport are governed by their borough council and answer to local voters, not to Harrisburg. Rate changes, capital projects and outage policy are set at council meetings open to residents.
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