AES Ohio rates: the price to compare, why it rose and who beats it

It is 10.86¢ per kWh, and it covers only the power itself. PUCO posts it on the Energy Choice Ohio chart for AES Ohio. AES Ohio's own page rounds it to 10.9¢. Both mean the same price. It started June 1, 2026 and runs for one year.

AES Ohio serves more than 539,000 customers in 24 counties of West Central Ohio, the company said in November 2025. The chart's AES Ohio list covers Dayton and nearby ZIP codes such as 45402 and 45459. If you picked no supplier and your town runs no group program, this is the power price on your bill.

Looking for a different Dayton? Dayton, Texas and Dayton, Tennessee have their own power companies. This page is about Dayton, Ohio.

Type the offer's price, its monthly fee and your kWh. The tool finds your real price per kWh once the fee is in, shows what it costs each month against the price to beat, and ranks your offer against today's AES Ohio chart. At 900 kWh a $10 fee adds about 1.1¢ per kWh.

1. 1
   Type your kWh.

   Use the "kWh used" line on your bill.

2. 2
   Check the price to beat.

   It starts at AES Ohio's default price. Use the picker to switch to the electric heat price or the City of Dayton program.

3. 3
   Type the offer's price and fee.

   Use cents per kWh, and type 0 if there is no fee.

4. 4
   Add the term and the cancel fee.

   Both are optional, and both change the answer.

The result is an estimate of the supply price only. It leaves out delivery and taxes, and it cannot see a price change after the first term. Nothing you type is sent or saved.

51 of 116 offers are priced under the price to compare, which is 44%. That falls to 39 once monthly fees are added. Only 17 are fixed for 12 months or more with no fees. 32 different sellers are on the chart, and 6 of the offers are variable, which means the price can change.

The lowest fixed offer with no fees is 10.09¢, sold by AEP Energy Inc. That is only a little under the price to compare, so the fee and the end date matter more than the cents.

The plan finder on this page lists its own set of plans. On Oct. 25, 2026 we ran two Dayton-area ZIP codes, 45402 and 45459, through it. Each returned 25 plans, from 8.38¢ to 14.2¢ per kWh. The lowest one has a nine-month term and a $16.99 monthly fee. At 900 kWh that fee adds 1.9¢, so the real price is about 10.3¢. It still beats the default, but by much less than 8.38¢ suggests.

We do not score these sellers. Read our guides to Direct Energy, Energy Harbor and IGS Energy for their fees and how to leave, and check any name with our supplier guide.

PUCO's own chart goes back to 2019. The default price was 4.6¢ in the June 2020 to May 2021 year. It was 10.91¢ two years after that. It fell to 8.58¢ in 2024 and has risen twice since. The chart warns that old prices do not predict new ones.

Why does it move? AES Ohio buys the power in auctions run by an independent party under PUCO's watch, and it passes the result to you with no mark-up, the company says. AES Ohio also says the capacity auction for the 2026 to 2027 year came in much higher, because older power plants are closing and demand is growing, partly from data centers. That is the company's reading, not PUCO's. What the company states as a number is that the June 2026 reset added $14.06 a month, or 7.5%, for a home using 1,000 kWh.

Our high bill guide shows how to tell which part of a jump is yours.

This is a separate fight from the power price. It is about delivery, which means the wires, poles and meters. It is PUCO case 25-0958-EL-AIR. AES Ohio pre-filed it on Oct. 10, 2025 and announced its filing on Nov. 10, 2025. The company asked for set delivery rates for 2027, 2028 and 2029 instead of one case each time.

The Ohio Consumers' Counsel, the state's residential advocate, put the original ask at about $143 million over the three years. It said the monthly bill would rise $6.54 in 2027, $4.93 in 2028 and $2.32 in 2029. AES Ohio put the average at about 3% a year or less. Public hearings were held in Dayton on July 9 and July 16, 2026.

On July 21, 2026, AES Ohio said it had filed an unopposed settlement with PUCO's staff and 16 other parties. For a home using 1,000 kWh a month, the settlement adds about $2.43 a month from January 1, 2027, about 1.17%. PUCO's staff testified the rise would be 1.17% in 2027, 1.49% in 2028 and 0.96% in 2029. The plan also makes a separate rate class for data centers. No party opposed it at the Aug. 4 hearing, the Dayton Daily News reported, and PUCO's five commissioners had a deadline of December 18, 2026 to rule, the paper said. Three votes are enough.

Status on October 25, 2026: we found no PUCO ruling. A rate case moves in steps, and this page does not follow them day by day. The live record is the PUCO case record.

Not the same case. AES Ohio's "Rates and tariffs" page still shows a pre-filing notice with a filing date of Nov. 29, 2024. That is the earlier case, 24-1009-EL-AIR. PUCO accepted its settlement on Nov. 5, 2025. It set a $168 million yearly rise instead of the $235 million asked, kept the monthly customer charge at $9.75 and ended reconnection fees.

If the commission changes the settlement, the numbers above can change. The docket is public, and the Counsel links it from its fact sheet.

Power is the part you can shop, and delivery is the part you cannot. AES Ohio delivers your power whoever sells it, and a seller takes over only the supply charge. AES Ohio's own bill calculator spreadsheet lists every current charge, and its tariff page lists each rider, such as the storm cost and customer program riders.

Your supplier shows on the bill under Supply Charges. If it says AES Ohio, you are on the default price.

It might. The City of Dayton runs an opt-out electric program through SOPEC, a nonprofit group of governments, with AEP Energy as the seller. SOPEC lists 10.691¢ per kWh, with 100% renewable power, until June 30, 2027. On October 24, 2026 that was 0.17¢ lower than AES Ohio's price to compare. We last read SOPEC's page on October 25, 2026. AES Ohio still delivers the power and sends the bill.

The program covers homes inside the City of Dayton. Homes were enrolled automatically, and you can opt out at any time without a fee, SOPEC says. SOPEC's page also holds an old line that says "June 2025", so read the letter you got and check the end date with SOPEC. PIPP Plus customers cannot join.

Do you live in another town? Some towns run their own program. Look for a letter that says "opt out". If you are not sure, call AES Ohio.PUCO explains how group programs work.

Compare, call, read and watch for your letter. PUCO's steps are to find your price to compare on your bill, compare offers on the chart, call the seller you like and read the contract. AES Ohio then mails a letter confirming the switch. You have seven days from the postmark date to stop it.

1. Find your priceIt is in the message on your bill. Today's default is 10.86¢.
2. Compare offersUse the state's chart, the tool above or the plan finder.
3. Read the contractCheck the term, fees and what happens when it ends.
4. Watch for the letterAES Ohio confirms the switch. You have seven days to stop it.

Never call AES Ohio to cancel your power. The seller you choose tells AES Ohio. Already have a supplier? Our contract ending guide shows the notices you are owed. Not sure which Ohio utility you have? Our Ohio guide lists them all.