In Philadelphia, electric delivery is handled by PECO — and since Philadelphia sits in Pennsylvania's deregulated market, you pick your own Philadelphia retail plan; Philadelphia Gas Works is Philadelphia's natural-gas utility; City of Philadelphia Water Department handles Philadelphia's water and sewer. The exact lineup depends on your Philadelphia address — even nearby Bethlehem and Allentown answer differently.
Philadelphia lookups are free — all four utility types in about a minute
Philadelphia guide: providers · address check · checklist · FAQ · nearby
In Philadelphia, your electricity comes through PECO no matter which block you're on, and the wires and outage calls stay with PECO even after you pick a retail supplier through PA Power Switch. Natural gas runs through Philadelphia Gas Works, the utility most rowhouse and corner-store owners here just call PGW. Water and sewer both come from the City of Philadelphia Water Department, a city-run operation. At addresses sampled across Philadelphia, that lineup held steady.
Philadelphia is unusual in that the city and county share a single boundary, so the municipal Water Department's service area tracks that same footprint, from the Far Northeast down to the stadiums in South Philly. The old, dense street grid that grew up between the Delaware and Schuylkill is served citywide by Philadelphia Gas Works for gas, while PECO's electric network extends well beyond the city line into the surrounding suburbs.
| Utility | Provider | Phone | Start service |
|---|---|---|---|
| ⚡ Electricity |
PECO
Delivery utility — you choose your plan |
(800) 841-4141 | Provider site |
| 🔥 Natural gas | Philadelphia Gas Works | (215) 235-1000 | Provider site |
| 💧 Water | City of Philadelphia Water Department Municipal | (215) 685-6300 | Provider site |
| 🚽 Sewer | City of Philadelphia Water Department Municipal | (215) 685-6300 | Provider site |
Based on 12 sampled Philadelphia addresses spanning ZIP codes 19111, 19115, 19118, 19120, 19125, 19131, 19136, 19140, 19143, 19144, 19145, 19148 (2026-07-20). Yours may differ — the Philadelphia lookup is the tiebreaker.
Philadelphia County has no separate towns or unincorporated pockets, so the tricky part is the city line itself. Step into Montgomery, Delaware, or Bucks County, or across the river into New Jersey, and the gas and water providers can change, so run the lookup.
The one-minute fix: run your Philadelphia address through the lookup and skip the guessing.
PECO — Philadelphia's EDC — owns the wires here, and restores Philadelphia outages ((800) 841-4141) whoever you pay. Your separately chosen Philadelphia plan (compare at PA Power Switch) sets the rate on your Philadelphia bill — full wires-vs-plans explainer here.
Moving into a Philadelphia rowhouse or a Center City apartment? Here's the checklist to get PECO, PGW, and the Water Department squared away before your first night.
PECO is the EDC for Philadelphia — the wires-and-meters utility — at every one of the Philadelphia addresses we sampled. You pick the retail plan that sets your Philadelphia rate; PECO delivers either way.
At every one of the Philadelphia addresses we sampled, City of Philadelphia Water Department was the water provider — sewer included. Other districts take over around Philadelphia's edges, so check your block.
No — at every one of the sampled Philadelphia addresses, Philadelphia Gas Works was the gas utility, but plenty of Philadelphia homes are all-electric and never open this account.
PECO delivers electricity at addresses across Philadelphia, and PECO is who you call when the lights go out. Because Pennsylvania is a retail-choice state, you can shop for a competitive electric supplier through PA Power Switch, or take no action and keep getting your supply through PECO. The delivery side stays with PECO regardless of which supplier you choose. Run the lookup to confirm the setup at your exact address.
Natural gas in Philadelphia comes from Philadelphia Gas Works, usually shortened to PGW, and it served the gas at every address we sampled across the city. PGW is the utility that maintains the gas lines and responds if you smell gas or lose service. When you're setting up a new place, start service with PGW directly, and use the lookup first to make sure PGW is the gas utility at your specific address.
Water and sewer are both handled by the City of Philadelphia Water Department, the city-run utility, at addresses across Philadelphia. Because the same city department runs both services, you set them up through the city rather than a private provider. New residents should contact the Water Department to put service in their name around move-in. Run the lookup first to confirm the Water Department covers your exact address.
One minute with the Philadelphia lookup above returns your Philadelphia address's exact providers, phone numbers included.
Moving somewhere just outside Philadelphia? Providers likely differ:
Philadelphia-level lists can't be precise. Your Philadelphia address can.
Find my providersPhiladelphia provider data comes from our address-level utility lookup engine — 12 Philadelphia sample addresses spread across ZIPs 19111, 19115, 19118, 19120, 19125, 19131, 19136, 19140, 19143, 19144, 19145, 19148, refreshed 2026-07-20. Individual Philadelphia addresses vary — check yours directly. Here's how we verify Philadelphia provider data.