The Cleveland Electric Illuminating Company (CEI): who it is, what you pay and your choices

They are one company with three names. The Cleveland Electric Illuminating Company was named in 1894, says Case Western Reserve University's encyclopedia. It joined Toledo Edison in 1986 to form Centerior. In 1997 Centerior and Ohio Edison merged to form FirstEnergy, which FirstEnergy's own history page confirms. Today people say "The Illuminating Company," "the Illuminating" or "CEI." FirstEnergy's page uses The Illuminating Company.

CEI is a delivery company. It does not make power. It carries power to your door, reads your meter and bills you. In Ohio you can pick who sells the power part. You cannot pick who delivers it.

Your bill names your utility at the top. CEI's customer line is 1-800-589-3101, open Monday to Friday, 8 a.m. to 6 p.m. To report an outage, call 1-888-544-4877 or text OUT to 544487. Both numbers are from FirstEnergy's contact page, read Oct. 25, 2026.

It is a group buying plan run by the city, and it may already be on your bill. The City of Cleveland combines the power needs of homes and small businesses that get a CEI bill, then buys supply for all of them. The city says the Sustainable Ohio Public Energy Council (SOPEC) manages it, and the supplier is AEP Energy. SOPEC is not NOPEC. NOPEC is a different group, and it serves other northeast Ohio towns.

Through July 31, 2027 the city's price is 10.457¢ per kWh, backed by 100% renewable supply. CEI's price to compare is 11.24¢, so the program is lower than CEI's own price by 0.78¢ today. You still get one bill, from CEI. AEP Energy shows on it as your supplier.

The gap between the top and bottom rows is what the 100% renewable label costs you here. At 900 kWh, every 0.1¢ is 90 cents a month. The checker below shows the exact dollars. Our green plan guide explains what that label means.

Pick the program you are in, check CEI's price from your bill and type any offer you hold. The checker shows each total at your kWh and marks the lowest. Small fees matter: at 900 kWh a $10 fee is about 1.1¢ on every kWh.

1. 1
   Type your kWh.

   It is on the usage line of your bill.

2. 2
   Pick your program.

   A Cleveland bill shows AEP Energy as the supplier. A member town of NOPEC shows NOPEC.

3. 3
   Check CEI's price.

   The box starts with the latest price we have.

4. 4
   Add an offer (optional).

   Type its price and any monthly fee.

Read the answer as a supply-only estimate. Delivery and taxes are not in it, and it cannot see what happens after a contract ends. Nothing you type leaves your browser.

No. The city's own table shows the months when the program price sat above CEI's price. In September 2025 the program was 9.23¢ and CEI's price was 8.72¢. From October to December 2025 it was 9.23¢ against 9.16¢. In those months a home that opted out would have paid less. Then CEI's price rose, from 9.50¢ in January 2026 to 11.24¢ now, and the program is lower than it today.

A program can be lower today and higher next year, because its price is fixed and CEI's price is reset. That is why the checker above uses your numbers and today's prices.

Yes, in part. Cleveland Public Power is owned by the city, and it says it serves about 74,000 homes and businesses. The rest of the city gets power from CEI. If your bill says Cleveland Public Power, this page is not about your wires, and the city program above does not apply to you.

We could not confirm from Cleveland Public Power or PUCO whether its customers can pick another seller. Call Cleveland Public Power at (216) 664-4600 and ask. CEI customers can always shop, as the next section shows.

On the chart, 95 of 128 offers sit under CEI's price to compare, which is 74%. After monthly fees, 92 still do. 38 different sellers are on the chart. Offers show on this chart whether or not your city has a program, so check the program price before you pick one.

The lowest fixed offer with no fees is 10.09¢, sold by Powervine Energy LLC. A low price alone proves little. Look the seller up in our supplier guide first. Our NOPEC guide covers the group program in the suburbs, and the Apples to Apples guide explains the chart column by column.

Delivery is set by CEI and approved by PUCO, and you pay it whoever sells your power. It covers poles, wires, tree trimming and the meter. FirstEnergy has asked PUCO to raise it. The Ohio Consumers' Counsel, the state's residential advocate, says the request, case 26-0347-EL-AIR, would add $5.15 a month each year for three years to a CEI home using 1,000 kWh. That is $15.45 a month by year three. It is a request, and PUCO may approve less. The Counsel's page said hearing dates had not been set when we read it on October 25, 2026.

Our Ohio Edison guide has the rate case for all three FirstEnergy utilities, and our high bill guide walks through seven reasons a bill jumps.

Start with your letter or bill. It tells you whether the city program, NOPEC or CEI's price covers your power.

1. Find your priceYour bill shows your supplier and price. CEI's price is 11.24¢.
2. Line up offersUse the checker above or the CEI chart on Energy Choice Ohio.
3. Call or clickA new supplier signs you up. In Cleveland, you may also call the program line, 1-888-733-8512.
4. Read the contractLook for the term, every fee and the renewal price.
5. Watch the mailCEI mails a confirmation. For seven days after its postmark you can still back out.

If someone knocks on your door or calls and says to sign now, the City of Cleveland says to sign nothing. Write down the name and company and call PUCO at 1-800-686-7826. A seller must be certified by PUCO. Our partner's plan finder shows plans by ZIP. On October 25, 2026 it showed 24 plans for 44135 in Cleveland and 44060 in Mentor, both in CEI's area. It showed none for 44113 and 44114, and we do not know why. If yours is empty, use the state's free chart.

Pay or ask about a bill: CEI at 1-800-589-3101. Outage: 1-888-544-4877. City program or opt out: 1-888-733-8512. A problem with a seller or a switch you did not ask for: PUCO at 1-800-686-7826.

If CEI cannot fix a service problem, ask for a supervisor, then call PUCO. Our contract ending guide lists the notices a seller owes you when a deal ends.