What does Direct Energy charge in Ohio?
It depends on your utility and the length of the plan. Each row shows the utility's price to compare, Direct Energy's lowest price and the length of that plan, its highest price, how many of its offers beat the utility's price, and its fees. Prices are cents per kWh for the power only.
| Utility | Price to compare | Lowest | Months | Highest | Offers under the price | Highest cancel fee | Offers with a monthly fee |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| AEP Ohio | 10.19¢ | 10.59¢ | 6 | 13.49¢ | 0 of 5 | $0 | 0 |
| AES Ohio | 10.86¢ | 10.39¢ | 6 | 13.59¢ | 1 of 5 | $0 | 0 |
| Duke Energy Ohio | 10.49¢ | 10.59¢ | 7 | 13.59¢ | 0 of 5 | $0 | 0 |
| Ohio Edison | 11.07¢ | 10.09¢ | 6 | 13.49¢ | 1 of 5 | $0 | 0 |
| CEI | 11.24¢ | 10.09¢ | 6 | 13.69¢ | 1 of 5 | $0 | 0 |
| Toledo Edison | 11.26¢ | 10.09¢ | 6 | 13.69¢ | 1 of 5 | $0 | 0 |
The "Months" column is the length of the lowest-priced plan. The chart's only note on each offer reads "New Customers Only." The contract is the place to find the rest, so ask for it in writing.
What would Direct Energy cost my home?
Enter the quote you got and your monthly use. The checker prices it next to your utility's default. Skip our table here: chart prices move, and your written quote is what binds you.
- 1Pick your utility.
It is on your bill.
- 2Type the Direct Energy price.
Use cents per kWh, such as 10.5.
- 3Add any monthly fee.
Type 0 if there is none.
- 4Type your kWh.
Find "kWh used" on a recent bill.
Treat the answer as a supply-only estimate. Delivery and taxes are not in it, and it cannot see a new price after the first term. Nothing you enter leaves your browser.
Is Direct Energy cheaper than my utility?
The lowest price is usually a short plan, and a short plan ends soon. Each 1¢ of gap is about $9 a month at 900 kWh, but only for the months the plan lasts. When it ends, the contract decides. Check your own utility's price to compare against the new price before the end date. Our Ohio Edison guide shows how that price changes.
Energy Choice Ohio, Ohio Edison chart, read October 24, 2026. Bars start at zero.
What happens when a short plan ends?
You should get a notice well before it ends, but you have to act on it. Under PUCO's rules, a fixed plan with no cancel fee that renews on its own must send one notice 45 to 90 days before the end. It must state the new price and how to cancel. For a 6-month plan, that notice arrives around month three or four. Do nothing and the new price applies.
- Sign upWrite down the end date, the price and the term. Keep the contract.
- Month 3 or 4Watch your mail and email for the renewal notice. It must show the new price.
- CompareTest the new price in the tool against your utility's price to compare.
- DecidePick a new plan, go back to the utility's price or let it renew.
See the contract ending guide for each notice due to you. The cheapest way to use a short plan is to keep shopping when it ends.
Who owns Direct Energy?
NRG Energy. It completed its purchase of Direct Energy from Centrica on Jan. 5, 2021, according to its filing with the SEC. The Direct Energy pages in Ohio still carry the Direct Energy name and, on its Ohio page, mention NRG's home protection plans. Direct Energy sells electricity and natural gas in Ohio, under the name Direct Energy Services, LLC on the state's chart.
Direct Energy is not your utility, even if the person at your door sounds official. Your utility's name is on your bill: AEP Ohio, AES Ohio, Duke Energy Ohio, Ohio Edison, CEI or Toledo Edison. A seller may not claim to speak for your utility.
How do I leave Direct Energy?
The table shows the highest cancel fee the chart lists for each utility. Your contract sets your own fee, so read it. Then pick a new seller from the chart, or go back to your utility's price to compare. If you just signed, your utility must send a letter confirming the switch, and you have seven days from its postmark date to stop it.
- Get the price, the term, all fees and the renewal price on paper.
- Ask whether the offer is for new customers only, and what an existing customer pays.
- Check the name: Direct Energy Services, LLC, and ask for its Ohio certification.
- Never read your account number to a caller you did not phone yourself.
- Do not sign at the door. You can always call back.
Our supplier guide has a free tool that checks whether a name is selling to homes in your utility area.
Test the Direct Energy price you were quoted against your utility's price to compare. If it is a short plan, note the end date and what price comes next.
Compare plans at my ZIPA partner runs the plan finder. If you sign up, it may pay us a fee, and that never moves a rating or a score.
Questions, answered
Is Direct Energy legit in Ohio?
Direct Energy Services, LLC has offers on the state's official chart, which lists certified suppliers that are enrolling new customers. That does not rate its service. Call PUCO at 1-800-686-7826 to check a seller first.
Does Direct Energy charge a cancellation fee in Ohio?
On the AEP Ohio chart, its highest cancel fee was $0, and 0 of its 5 offers there had a monthly fee. The table lists each utility. Your own contract is what counts, so read it first.
Is Direct Energy cheaper than my utility?
Its lowest price beat the price to compare in 4 of 6 utility areas on October 24, 2026, and the lowest price is usually a short plan. Test your own quote with the free tool, and note when the plan ends.
Who owns Direct Energy?
NRG Energy, which completed its purchase of Direct Energy from Centrica on Jan. 5, 2021, according to its filing with the SEC.
Why do door-to-door sellers say they are with my utility?
Some sellers imply it. Under PUCO's rules a seller may not claim to speak for your utility. Ask for a photo ID and the contract in writing, and call the number on your bill to check.
What happens when my Direct Energy plan ends?
It depends on your contract. If it renews on its own and has no cancel fee, the seller must send one notice 45 to 90 days before the end, with the new price and how to cancel. Check the new price against your utility's before the date.
Does Direct Energy offer 100% renewable plans in Ohio?
On the AEP Ohio chart, 1 of its 5 offers list 100% renewable content. Check what the label adds to the price. Our green plans guide explains what a renewable label buys.
How do I cancel Direct Energy in Ohio?
Read your contract for any fee or notice rule, then pick a new seller or go back to your utility. If you signed in the last seven days, the letter from your utility lets you stop the switch.
What do you want to do next?
Sources and updates
Sources (5)
- Public Utilities Commission of Ohio, Energy Choice Ohio, Apples to Apples electric charts: Direct Energy's offers, their prices, terms and fees, and each price to compare. The numbers refresh from it.
- NRG Energy, Form 8-K, Exhibit 99.1: NRG completes Direct Energy acquisition: The Jan. 5, 2021 closing of NRG's purchase of Direct Energy. The buyer's own filing with the SEC.
- Direct Energy, Ohio: Direct Energy's Ohio page, which carries NRG's home protection plans. The company's own page.
- Public Utilities Commission of Ohio, Steps to switching: The confirmation letter and the seven-day window.
- Ohio Administrative Code, Chapter 4901:1-21: The notices a seller must send before a plan ends and what it may not claim.
Changelog · last updated October 25, 2026 · 1 update
- October 25, 2026: Guide published.
How to cite this page: The Day Company, "Direct Energy in Ohio: what it charges, who owns it and how to leave", updated October 25, 2026, https://theday.company/oh/direct-energy-ohio.
The Day Company is not affiliated with Direct Energy, NRG Energy, Centrica, the Public Utilities Commission of Ohio, any Ohio utility or any other electric supplier. Offers and prices come from public records as of October 24, 2026, and can change at any time. This page does not score or rate Direct Energy. The offer checker gives an estimate, not a quote, an offer or a promise of savings. Company names are trademarks of their owners. Our plan finder is Power HQ, operated by Blitz Ventures Inc. (doing business as EnergyBot), which holds Public Utilities Commission of Ohio licence 18-1282E.