Which "cost per kWh" do you mean?
Usually one of three prices: the state average, your utility's supply price or your own bill divided by its kWh. They count different things, so never compare one with another.
| Price | What it counts | Latest value |
|---|---|---|
| Ohio average (EIA) | Everything on the home bill, divided by the kWh sold | 19.45¢ in July 2026 |
| Price to compare (your utility) | The power only, no delivery | 10.19¢ at AEP Ohio to 11.26¢ at Toledo Edison |
| Your own bill | Your total divided by your kWh | Find it with the tool below |
Shopping for a supplier? Use the price to compare, not the average. Our Ohio electricity rates guide lists all six prices to compare and tests any offer for free. This page is about the all-in cost.
EIA-861 (2025), Energy Choice Ohio and EIA Electric Power Monthly Table 5.6.A. Bars start at zero.
What is your own cost per kWh?
It is your bill's total divided by its kWh. That number is your all-in price. The tool does it for you, then shows how much came from the power and how much from delivery. It also checks your supply price against your utility's price to compare.
- 1Find your total.
Use the amount due for that month, with no old balance.
- 2Find your kWh.
Look for "kWh used".
- 3Divide the total by the kWh.
Or let the tool do it.
- 4Add the two charges (optional).
The supply or generation charge, and the delivery or distribution charge.
Add the two charges, and the result shows how many cents of each kWh went to delivery, which no supplier can cut, and how many went to the power, which you can shop. It is only as good as the numbers you enter, and it cannot see credits, late fees or a supplier's fine print. Nothing you type is sent or saved.
How does the price split between supply and delivery?
Delivery took 7¢ to 10¢ of each kWh at the six big utilities in 2025, and the power took most of the rest. The EIA collects the homes, the kWh and the dollars from every Ohio utility each year. We used its 2025 file to find what each utility collected per kWh from homes that bought their power from it, and from homes that bought it elsewhere.
| Utility | Average home use | Utility's all-in price per kWh | Delivery alone per kWh | Price to compare today |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| AEP Ohio | 901 kWh | 18.97¢ | 10.26¢ | 10.19¢ |
| Duke Energy Ohio | 924 kWh | 16.83¢ | 8.17¢ | 10.49¢ |
| Toledo Edison | 779 kWh | 16.49¢ | 7.89¢ | 11.26¢ |
| CEI | 694 kWh | 16.22¢ | 7.71¢ | 11.24¢ |
| AES Ohio | 980 kWh | 16.12¢ | 7.07¢ | 10.86¢ |
| Ohio Edison | 840 kWh | 16.01¢ | 7.42¢ | 11.07¢ |
"All-in" is the revenue per kWh from homes that bought power from their utility. "Delivery alone" is the revenue per kWh from homes that bought power elsewhere. Fixed monthly charges are inside both, so a low-use utility such as CEI looks pricier per kWh than it is per month. Not sure which utility is yours? The Ohio hub matches big cities to utilities.
On Oct. 24, 2026, AEP Ohio had the lowest price to compare of the six, yet it collected the most for delivery in 2025. That helps explain why its all-in price was the highest. Compare utilities by the full bill, not by one number.
What taxes are on top of the price per kWh?
Just one: a kWh tax of about half a cent, since Ohio charges no sales tax on electricity sent through wires. Section 5739.02 of the Revised Code leaves that sales tax out. Section 5727.81 puts an excise tax on the distribution company instead, based on the kWh it delivers.
| Slice of the month's kWh | Tax per kWh |
|---|---|
| The first 2,000 kWh | 0.465¢ |
| The next 13,000 kWh, up to 15,000 | 0.419¢ |
| Above 15,000 kWh | 0.363¢ |
A home rarely uses more than 2,000 kWh, so the first rate is the one that matters. AES Ohio's tariff passes the tax to customers at the same rates in a rider. Check your own utility's bill for a line with a similar name. The tax is small, about $4.65 on 1,000 kWh, but it is real.
Why do small homes pay more per kWh?
Because the fixed monthly charge is spread over fewer kWh. A utility charges that flat amount just to keep you connected. It is the same if you use 100 kWh or 2,000.
| Use in a month | Fixed charge per kWh |
|---|---|
| 500 kWh | 2.0¢ |
| 750 kWh | 1.3¢ |
| 1,000 kWh | 1.0¢ |
| 1,500 kWh | 0.7¢ |
This is why one home can pay 17¢ and a neighbor pays 15¢ on the same utility and the same supply price. The home with the lower use pays more per kWh, but a lower bill. It is also why a supplier's monthly fee can wipe out a low price per kWh. Add the fee, as cents per kWh at your own use, before you compare. A cancel fee works the same way: our contract ending guide shows when one applies.
Is Ohio's cost per kWh going up?
Yes, by about 10% in a year. In August 2025, Ohio homes paid 17.55¢ per kWh, says the EIA. In August 2026 they paid 19.38¢, which is 1.83¢ more. The U.S. average was 18.16¢ in August 2026.
EIA Electric Power Monthly, Table 5.6.A. Bars start at zero.
The power itself led the rise. PUCO's annual report says the supply price at the six big utilities rose about 2¢ per kWh in June 2025, after a grid auction. Our rates guide tells that story utility by utility. Delivery may be next, with rate cases open for Duke Energy Ohio and FirstEnergy. See our high bill guide for what each case means on a bill.
What is the right way to shop on price?
Use the supply price. Set a supplier's offer next to your utility's price to compare, add any monthly fee and skip the state average.
- Compare the offer's price per kWh with your utility's price to compare.
- Add any monthly fee as cents per kWh at your own use.
- Check that the price is fixed, and for how long.
- Look at the cancel fee before you sign.
- Do not compare an offer with the state average. They count different things.
- Do not compare your bill's all-in price with a supplier's price.
The plan finder on this page shows offers for many Ohio ZIP codes. If it shows none for yours, the state's free chart at Energy Choice Ohio lists every offer. Test any one with our offer checker, and before you sign, run the seller through our supplier check.
To lower your cost, shop the supply part: set offers next to your utility's price to compare. No plans for your ZIP in the finder? Energy Choice Ohio's free chart has them all.
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
What is the average cost of electricity per kWh in Ohio?
The EIA's figure for July 2026 is 19.45¢ per kWh. The whole of 2025 averaged 16.90¢. That counts power, delivery, fixed charges and taxes.
Why is my cost per kWh higher than my price to compare?
Your price to compare covers only the power. Your all-in price adds delivery, the fixed monthly charge and the kWh tax. That is why a bill works out to about 17¢ to 19¢ per kWh when the power alone costs about 10¢ to 11¢.
How do I calculate my cost per kWh?
Divide the total on your bill by the kWh used. Use a month with no old balance. The tool on this page does it, and splits out supply and delivery.
Is Ohio electricity expensive?
It is a little above the U.S. average. In August 2026 Ohio homes paid 19.38¢ per kWh and the U.S. average was 18.16¢, says the EIA. Pennsylvania homes paid 21.77¢.
Which Ohio utility has the highest cost per kWh?
AEP Ohio, in the 2025 data. Its delivery charge was the highest of the six, at 10.26¢ per kWh. On Oct. 24, 2026, its price to compare was the lowest of the six.
Is there sales tax on electricity in Ohio?
No sales tax on electricity delivered through wires. But there is a per-kWh excise tax on the distribution company, which AES Ohio passes to customers.
What does 1,000 kWh cost in Ohio?
At August 2026's state average of 19.38¢, about $194. The 2025 average home used 874 kWh and paid $147.74 a month. Your own cost depends on your utility and your supply price.
Why does my cost per kWh change each month?
Fixed charges are spread over fewer kWh in light months. Prices that reset, such as Duke's, change too. Use the tool each month to see it.
What do you want to do next?
Sources and updates
Sources (9)
- U.S. Energy Information Administration, Electric Power Monthly, Table 5.6.A: Average residential price by state for the newest month and for Aug. 2025.
- U.S. Energy Information Administration, Annual Electric Power Industry Report (Form EIA-861), 2025: Ohio's 2025 average use, bill and price, and the utility figures we worked out from the file.
- Public Utilities Commission of Ohio, Energy Choice Ohio, Apples to Apples electric charts: Each utility's price to compare, read Oct. 24, 2026.
- Public Utilities Commission of Ohio, Annual report, fiscal year 2025: Residential supply prices rose about 2 cents per kWh in June 2025.
- Ohio Revised Code, Section 5727.81, kilowatt-hour excise tax: The tax per kWh on electric distribution companies.
- Ohio Revised Code, Section 5739.02, sales tax exemptions: Electricity delivered through wires is not subject to sales tax.
- AES Ohio, Excise Tax Surcharge Rider, Sheet D33: AES Ohio passes the kWh tax to customers at the same rates. A utility's own tariff sheet.
- Office of the Ohio Consumers' Counsel, Duke Energy Ohio rate increase, case 26-0132-EL-AIR: Duke's request for higher delivery rates from 2027. The Counsel is the state's residential watchdog.
- Office of the Ohio Consumers' Counsel, FirstEnergy rate increase, case 26-0347-EL-AIR: The three FirstEnergy utilities' request for 2027 to 2029.
Changelog · last updated October 24, 2026 · 1 update
- October 24, 2026: Guide published.
How to cite this page: The Day Company, "What does electricity cost per kWh in Ohio?", updated October 24, 2026, https://theday.company/oh/ohio-electricity-cost-per-kwh.
The Day Company is not affiliated with the U.S. Energy Information Administration, the Public Utilities Commission of Ohio, any Ohio utility or any electric supplier. Figures come from public records as of Oct. 24, 2026, and can change at any time. Utility figures for 2025 are our own math from a federal data file and are not the utilities' rates. The cost per kWh finder 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.