Ohio electricity rates: what your utility charges and what shoppers pay

It depends on what you count. Your utility's price to compare covers the power alone, and it is the number to shop with. The all-in average counts the whole bill: Ohio homes paid 19.45¢ per kWh in July 2026, says the EIA. The U.S. figure was 18.31¢ and Pennsylvania's was 21.72¢.

A kWh, or kilowatt-hour, is the unit your meter counts. Want the all-in price of your own bill, split into supply and delivery? Our guide to Ohio's cost per kWh does that math for each utility. This page sticks to the price you can shop.

It is what you pay for the power if you pick no supplier, and each big utility posts its own. PUCO lists all six on Energy Choice Ohio. The table shows them as of October 24, 2026.

Since Oct. 1, 2026, AEP Ohio goes by Ohio Power Company. The new name came with no rate change. Ohio Edison, CEI and Toledo Edison are the three FirstEnergy utilities.

Not sure which one is yours? Look at the top of your bill. The Ohio hub lists the big cities each one serves. Homes served by a city-owned utility or a rural co-op cannot shop at all, and have no price to compare.

It does only if its price, plus any monthly fee spread over your kWh, comes in under your utility's price. Type the offer's numbers and the kWh from your bill. You see what the offer really costs a month and whether it beats your utility.

1. 1
   Pick your utility.

   Use the name on your bill.

2. 2
   Type the price.

   Use the cents per kWh from the offer.

3. 3
   Add the monthly fee.

   Many offers charge one. Type 0 if there is none.

4. 4
   Type your kWh.

   Use "kWh used" from your last bill.

The answer shows what the offer would save you, or cost you, at your kWh. It is an estimate of the supply price only. It leaves out delivery and taxes, and it cannot see credits or a price change after the first term. Nothing you type is sent or saved.

On October 24, 2026, 425 of 815 offers on PUCO's chart were priced under a price to compare. Far fewer still win once you add the fees and ask for a fixed price for a year, so we count those too.

On Oct. 24, 2026, the gap was wide in northern Ohio and narrow in the south and west. At AEP Ohio the lowest fixed, no-fee offer is 10.08¢, against a 10.19¢ price to compare. A low price must last for the whole contract, so read the term, the fees and the end date before you sign.

Want a plan with 100% renewable power? Our green plans guide counts how many of those beat the price to compare at each utility.

Each utility buys its power at its own auctions, so the six prices reset on different days. Ohio utilities no longer make power. Sellers bid to supply each utility's customers, and the winning bids set the price to compare.

AES Ohio also posts a lower price for homes that heat with electricity. It is 9.18¢ per kWh from Nov. 1, 2026 to May 31, 2027. Ask AES if your home qualifies.

Why does the three-month price matter? Because your bill can change in winter even if you do nothing. Mark the end date on your calendar.

Mostly because a grid auction made it more than nine times as costly to keep power plants ready. In June 2025, the supply price rose at every big Ohio utility. PUCO's annual report says the six big utilities' residential prices rose about 2¢ per kWh on average. The Ohio Consumers' Counsel, a state government office that speaks for homes, says the AEP Ohio price jumped 36%.

Ohio sits in PJM, the grid operator for 13 states. Each year PJM pays power plants to be ready for peak days. That fee is called a capacity price. It was $28.92 per megawatt-day for 2024/25. It was $269.92 for 2025/26. Utilities pass that cost to you through the price to compare.

These are supply prices only. The price to compare adds other pieces, so it is higher. Still, the order matches the posted prices: AES and FirstEnergy sit low, and Duke and AEP sit higher.

Three delivery rate cases could raise your bill, but none of them moves the price to compare. PUCO sets the delivery half of the bill in a rate case, and three Ohio cases are open or just decided.

For what each one means on a bill that has already jumped, see our guide to why your Ohio electric bill is high.

Find your number, pick an offer, test it, read the contract and mark the end date. Each step takes a few minutes.

1. Find your price to compareLook at the top of your bill for the utility name. Then read its price above.
2. Pick an offerUse the plan finder on this page or the state's free chart at Energy Choice Ohio. If the finder shows no plans for your ZIP, use the state's chart.
3. Test itUse the free tool above. Add the monthly fee, and check the term and the cancel fee.
4. Read the contractKeep your copy. You have 7 days to cancel after your utility sends its confirmation.
5. Mark the end dateMany offers move to a new price when the term ends. Set a reminder for 90 days before.

Before you sign, check that the seller is certified with our supplier guide. Our guide to ending an Ohio electric contract shows the notices a supplier must send you, and what an early termination fee can be.