What does "100% renewable" mean on an Ohio plan?
It usually means the seller bought renewable energy certificates to match your kWh, not that wind power runs to your house. Your electricity comes from the regional grid, which mixes every plant on it. A seller cannot send you wind power only. What it can do is buy a renewable energy certificate for each megawatt-hour of renewable power made somewhere on the grid. A certificate is a record that the power was made from a renewable source. When the seller buys enough of them to match what you use, it can say your plan is 100% renewable.
The right to say your kWh were matched by renewable power made somewhere on the grid.
A direct line to a wind farm. Your power, your outages and your delivery are the same.
The FTC's Green Guides explain the logic. If a company sells the certificates for its own solar power, it has given up the right to call that power renewable. The buyer of the certificate gets it. That is why the certificates matter, and why a plan with no certificates behind it is not 100% renewable.
What do 100% renewable plans cost in Ohio?
It depends on your utility area, so the table shows each one. The state's chart marks each offer with a renewable share, and we count the ones marked 100%.
| Utility | Green plans | Middle price | Under the price to compare | Price to compare |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| AEP Ohio | 35 | 11.59¢ | 2 | 10.19¢ |
| AES Ohio | 25 | 11.50¢ | 6 | 10.86¢ |
| Duke Energy Ohio | 39 | 11.79¢ | 5 | 10.49¢ |
| Ohio Edison | 33 | 10.89¢ | 19 | 11.07¢ |
| CEI | 32 | 10.99¢ | 18 | 11.24¢ |
| Toledo Edison | 32 | 10.95¢ | 19 | 11.26¢ |
On Oct. 24, 2026, the middle green price sat under the price to compare in the three FirstEnergy areas. In the AEP Ohio, AES Ohio and Duke Energy Ohio areas it sat above. A green plan can cost less than the default, but the plan still has to be fixed, fee-free and long enough to matter. Test one with the tool below.
How much extra is green, really?
Often a few dollars a month. The cleanest test is the same seller's standard plan against its green plan, because the difference is what the certificates cost you. Two Ohio programs show the size.
Dynegy's Toledo page: 9.86¢ standard, 10.11¢ renewable. NOPEC's CEI price: 10.399¢ standard, 10.749¢ renewable. Bars start at zero.
At 874 kWh, the average Ohio home, 0.25¢ adds about $2.19 a month, and 0.35¢ adds about $3.06. At 1,000 kWh they add $2.50 and $3.50. Type in a plan below. The tool shows the extra cost against the seller's standard plan, and against your utility's price to compare.
- 1Pick your utility.
It sets the price to compare.
- 2Type the green plan.
Put in its price per kWh and any monthly fee.
- 3Type the standard plan (optional).
Use the same seller's standard price.
- 4Type your kWh.
Use your last bill.
The answer shows what the green plan costs or saves you in a year against your utility's price to compare, and what the green label itself adds. It is an estimate of the supply price only. It leaves out delivery and taxes. A plan's price can change when its term ends. Nothing you type is sent or saved.
What does Ohio law say about green power?
Ohio law sets a floor for renewable power, makes sellers show their fuel mix and bans false green claims. First, the floor. Section 4928.64 of the Revised Code says that by the end of 2026, each utility and each electric services company must supply 8.5% of its power from qualifying renewable sources. The table of yearly steps stops at 2026. So an ordinary plan already carries some renewable power, even if the seller does not call it green.
PUCO's rules add three duties for sellers, in chapter 4901:1-21 of the Ohio Administrative Code.
- Rule 09: a seller must tell you the fuel mix behind a plan: coal, gas, nuclear, wind, solar and the rest.
- Rule 09: a seller must also report air emissions and how it counts certificates in that mix.
- The seller reports its projected mix each year and checks it against actual numbers every quarter.
- Watch for a claim of an environmental benefit that does not exist. Rule 05 bans it.
- Watch for a renewable claim with no source named. The FTC says to qualify it, and not to claim renewable use unless fossil power is matched by certificates.
Ask for the fuel mix label for any green plan before you sign. It should be in the contract papers. If it is missing, that is a reason to walk away.
What should you ask a seller before you pay extra?
Ask what you are buying, what it costs against the standard plan and how the deal ends. A seller's name tells you little about how it treats customers. RPA Energy, which sold as Green Choice Energy, lost its Ohio certificates over its sales practices, a decision the Supreme Court of Ohio upheld on Feb. 24, 2026.
- Is it 100% of my kWh?Ask what share of your use is matched, not only the plan name.
- What source?Wind and solar are clear. "Renewable" alone is vague, and the FTC says to name the source.
- How are certificates bought?Ask who buys them and from what kind of plant.
- What does it cost against the standard plan?Ask for the standard price in writing.
- Is the price fixed, and for how long?A cheap green plan that is variable can rise at any time.
- What is the cancel fee?Check the early termination fee and any monthly fee.
- What happens when the term ends?Many plans roll to a variable price. Ask for the date.
Our supplier guide shows how to check that a seller is certified, and what the court found in that case. Our contract ending guide shows the notices a seller must send you before a green deal ends.
Do you need a plan to get green power?
Not always. Two city or group programs already sell a green option, and one uses green as its default.
| Program | Standard price | Green price | What to know |
|---|---|---|---|
| Toledo area group (NOAC) | 9.86¢ | 10.11¢ | Green is optional. Dynegy's Toledo page lists both, to June 2028. |
| Cincinnati city program | Not listed | 10.67¢ from Nov. 2026 | Dynegy labels its Cincinnati schedule a 100% renewable price. See the Cincinnati guide. |
| NOPEC (northeast Ohio, CEI area) | 10.399¢ | 10.749¢ | Adds 0.35¢. No early termination fee, says NOPEC. |
Read the Toledo guide if you live in a NOAC town. In a city program, you can opt out of the program and still choose a green plan from the chart.
Using less power also helps the environment, and it is free. Our high bill guide shows where Ohio homes use the most.
Before you pay for green, check that the seller is certified and ask for its fuel mix label. Finder empty for your ZIP? Pick from the state's free chart instead.
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 a 100% renewable electricity plan in Ohio?
A plan where the seller matches your kWh with renewable energy certificates. The power on your wires is the same grid mix. The certificates are the proof that renewable power was made.
Is green energy more expensive in Ohio?
Usually a little. In two Ohio programs the green price is 0.25¢ to 0.35¢ above the standard price. That is about $2 to $3 a month at average use. In some utility areas, green plans cost less than the price to compare.
Which Ohio utility has the cheapest green plans?
On Oct. 24, 2026, the middle green price was lowest in the three FirstEnergy areas: Ohio Edison, CEI and Toledo Edison. The table above shows today's numbers for all six, and they move with the market.
Does a green plan make my power greener?
It pays for renewable power to be made somewhere on the grid. It does not change the power that comes to your house. Ask the seller what plants the certificates come from.
Does Ohio require renewable energy?
Yes. Ohio Revised Code 4928.64 sets a benchmark of 8.5% by the end of 2026 for utilities and electric services companies.
Can a seller say its plan is green if it is not?
No. PUCO's rules ban claims of an environmental benefit that does not exist, and the FTC says unqualified renewable claims can be deceptive. File a complaint with PUCO at 1-800-686-7826.
Should I choose a green plan or the cheapest plan?
That is your call. Test the extra cost with the tool first. If the green plan is fixed, has no fees and costs a few dollars more a month, many homes take it.
Is rooftop solar the same as a green plan?
No. Rooftop solar makes power at your home. A green plan buys certificates for power made elsewhere.
What do you want to do next?
Sources and updates
Sources (9)
- Public Utilities Commission of Ohio, Energy Choice Ohio, Apples to Apples electric charts: Every offer, its price and renewable share, read Oct. 24, 2026.
- Ohio Revised Code, Section 4928.64, renewable energy benchmarks: The 8.5% benchmark by the end of 2026.
- Ohio Administrative Code, Chapter 4901:1-21, rules 05 and 09: Fuel mix and emissions disclosure, and the ban on false environmental claims.
- Federal Trade Commission, 16 CFR 260.15, renewable energy claims (Green Guides): How a marketer may describe renewable power and certificates.
- Dynegy Energy Services, City of Toledo municipal aggregation: The 9.86 and 10.11 cent prices. The supplier's own page.
- Dynegy Energy Services, City of Cincinnati municipal aggregation: The schedule labeled 100% renewable. The supplier's own page.
- NOPEC, Electric pricing: The standard and renewable prices for CEI-area members. NOPEC is a regional group of local governments that runs an aggregation program.
- Office of the Ohio Consumers' Counsel, Wise energy choices: Warnings on teaser and evergreen plans and early termination fees. The Counsel is the state's residential watchdog.
- Supreme Court of Ohio, RPA Energy decision, Feb. 24, 2026: The Court upheld PUCO's cancelling of the certificates of RPA Energy, which sold as Green Choice Energy.
Changelog · last updated October 24, 2026 · 1 update
- October 24, 2026: Guide published.
How to cite this page: The Day Company, "Ohio green electricity plans: what 100% renewable costs and what it means", updated October 24, 2026, https://theday.company/oh/ohio-green-electricity-plans.
The Day Company is not affiliated with the Public Utilities Commission of Ohio, the Federal Trade Commission, NOPEC, Dynegy or any electric supplier. Offers and prices come from public records as of Oct. 24, 2026, and can change at any time. Naming a program is not a rating or a recommendation. The green premium 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.