Duke Energy Ohio rates: what default-service homes pay
Duke Energy Ohio's 277,897 default-service customers in Ohio paid an average of 16.83¢ per kWh in 2025, for an average bill of $154.05 a month on 915 kWh.1 Over the last 12 months (Sep 2025–Aug 2026) the average was 17.40¢, and 18.48¢ in August 2026.2 Another 422,368 homes on its wires (60.3%) buy their supply elsewhere and pay Duke Energy Ohio delivery charges averaging 8.17¢ per kWh, plus their supplier's price.
EIA-861 2025 final (released October 7, 2026) and EIA's monthly utility survey through August 2026 (preliminary); next monthly update expected November 24, 2026. Averages are revenue divided by kWh, all charges included: not the rate printed in a tariff.
23 of 88 Ohio counties served (EIA-861 2025)
Duke Energy Ohio's default-service average climbed 12.2%1 from 2024 to 2025, while most of Ohio's other investor-owned utilities edged down. EIA's monthly survey then put it at 18.48¢ per kWh in August 20264, −0.3% on a year earlier (preliminary), against +8.4% at AEP Ohio and +18.1%2 at Ohio Edison.
Duke Energy Ohio's price per kWh: annual, 12 months and latest month
EIA reports three averages for the 277,8971 residential customers who bought both their electricity and its delivery from Duke Energy Ohio, Inc. in 2025. An average price here means what those customers paid in total divided by the kWh they used, so it is not the energy charge printed in a tariff.
| Period | Average price, default service | Average monthly bill | Use per home | Source |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2024 | 15.00¢ per kWh | $133.28 | 888 kWh3 | EIA-861 |
| 2025 | 16.83¢ per kWh | $154.05 | 915 kWh1 | EIA-861 |
| Last 12 months, September 2025 to August 2026 | 17.40¢ per kWh | $157.31 | 904 kWh | EIA-861M, 2026 preliminary |
| August 20264 | 18.48¢ per kWh2 | EIA-861M, preliminary |
For a reader asking what Duke's default service costs now, the 12-month figure is the closest answer: it is recent and it smooths out the season. A single month swings with weather and with how much use the fixed monthly charge is spread over.
In 2025 the default-service average was 0.4% below the Ohio average and the 10th highest among the 27 Ohio utilities with 10,000 or more full-service homes. Nationally, set against the 177 large utilities (100,000 or more residential customers), it came 62nd highest of 177, above their median of 15.07¢ per kWh and 5.3% below the national average for investor-owned utilities1.
The 2025 increase and the 2026 monthly figures
Between the 2024 and 2025 annual averages, Duke Energy Ohio's default-service price moved in the opposite direction from most of the state's other investor-owned utilities. The monthly survey since then is in the last two columns:
| Utility | 2024 | 2025 | Change | Last 12 months (September 2025 to August 2026) | August 20264 vs a year earlier |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Duke Energy Ohio | 15.00¢ per kWh | 16.83¢ per kWh | +12.2% | 17.40¢ per kWh | −0.3% |
| AEP Ohio | 19.33¢ per kWh | 18.97¢ per kWh | −1.9% | 20.48¢ per kWh | +8.4% |
| Ohio Edison | 16.18¢ per kWh | 16.01¢ per kWh | −1.1% | 17.52¢ per kWh | +18.1% |
| The Illuminating Company | 16.76¢ per kWh | 16.22¢ per kWh | −3.2% | 18.38¢ per kWh | +26.3% |
| AES Ohio | 15.32¢ per kWh | 16.12¢ per kWh | +5.2% | 18.80¢ per kWh | +13.1% |
| Toledo Edison | 16.64¢ per kWh3 | 16.49¢ per kWh | −0.9%1 | 17.56¢ per kWh | +10.2%2 |
All figures are default-service averages; 2026 months are preliminary and EIA revises them. In 2024 Duke's average sat below every other utility in the table. Ohio's residential average across all providers changed +10.4% from August 2025 to August 20264.
Source: EIA-861M monthly sales and revenue by utility; EIA, Electric Power Monthly / EIA-861M sales and revenue by state. Residential revenue divided by kWh in each month, as reported to EIA's monthly survey (EIA-861M; months since January 2026 preliminary). Bundled (default-service) customers only.
Show the numbers
| Month | Duke Energy Ohio (¢/kWh) | kWh per customer | Bill per customer |
|---|---|---|---|
| January 2025 | 14.10¢ | 1,317 | $185.64 |
| February 2025 | 14.97¢ | 1,075 | $160.95 |
| March 2025 | 15.75¢ | 756 | $119.12 |
| April 2025 | 15.05¢ | 839 | $126.24 |
| May 2025 | 20.56¢ | 437 | $89.84 |
| June 2025 | 18.53¢ | 1,249 | $231.37 |
| July 2025 | 18.09¢ | 1,210 | $218.76 |
| August 2025 | 18.53¢ | 957 | $177.28 |
| September 2025 | 18.51¢ | 812 | $150.26 |
| October 2025 | 17.15¢ | 571 | $97.89 |
| November 2025 | 17.46¢ | 805 | $140.57 |
| December 2025 | 15.57¢ | 1,140 | $177.49 |
| January 2026 | 15.79¢ | 1,234 | $194.76 |
| February 2026 | 15.92¢ | 1,090 | $173.56 |
| March 2026 | 17.86¢ | 746 | $133.29 |
| April 2026 | 18.22¢ | 645 | $117.59 |
| May 2026 | 18.52¢ | 755 | $139.94 |
| June 2026 | 18.77¢ | 935 | $175.39 |
| July 2026 | 18.18¢ | 1,116 | $202.92 |
| August 2026 | 18.48¢ | 1,035 | $191.23 |
EIA's tables record prices, not their causes. Duke Energy Ohio buys and sells power inside PJM1. For that market as a whole, a July 2026 report by Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory estimates that capacity costs lifted average wholesale costs by 0.9¢ per kWh in 2025, with another 0.6¢ per kWh5 expected for 2026. Those are regional averages, not Duke figures, and they do not explain why Duke's timing differed. Duke's rate cases and its Standard Service Offer go through the Public Utilities Commission of Ohio; our guide to rate increases follows a decision from order to bill.
Bills rose faster than the price
The average default-service bill went from $133.28 in 2024 to $154.05 in 2025, +15.6%, against +12.2% for the price. The gap is use: homes went from 888 kWh3 to 915 kWh1 a month. Ohio's average residential bill, across all providers, rose +9.3%6 over the same years.
Over the 12 months September 2025 to August 2026, use per default-service home peaked at 1,234 kWh in January 2026, with an average bill of $194.76, and bottomed at 571 kWh in October 2025, when the bill averaged $97.892. Statewide the peak month in that period was July 20264.
Source: EIA-861M monthly sales and revenue by utility. kWh per residential customer in each month (EIA-861M; months since January 2026 preliminary). The table adds the average bill and price for the month.
Show the numbers
| Month | kWh per customer | Bill per customer | ¢/kWh |
|---|---|---|---|
| September 2025 | 812 | $150.26 | 18.51¢ |
| October 2025 | 571 | $97.89 | 17.15¢ |
| November 2025 | 805 | $140.57 | 17.46¢ |
| December 2025 | 1,140 | $177.49 | 15.57¢ |
| January 2026 | 1,234 | $194.76 | 15.79¢ |
| February 2026 | 1,090 | $173.56 | 15.92¢ |
| March 2026 | 746 | $133.29 | 17.86¢ |
| April 2026 | 645 | $117.59 | 18.22¢ |
| May 2026 | 755 | $139.94 | 18.52¢ |
| June 2026 | 935 | $175.39 | 18.77¢ |
| July 2026 | 1,116 | $202.92 | 18.18¢ |
| August 2026 | 1,035 | $191.23 | 18.48¢ |
Most homes on Duke's wires buy supply elsewhere
Duke Energy Ohio delivered to 700,265 residential customers in 2025, 14.1% of Ohio's residential customers. 422,368 of them, 60.3%, had chosen a competitive supplier or were enrolled in a community aggregation, so Duke billed them for delivery alone. The prices and bills in the sections above describe the other 277,8971, who stayed on Duke's default supply.
The two groups pay for different parts of the service, so their 2025 averages are shown next to each other and never added:
- Default service (supply and delivery from Duke): 16.83¢ per kWh, a monthly bill of $154.05 on 915 kWh.
- Delivery only (supply from a supplier or aggregation): 8.17¢ per kWh, +4.6% on 7.81¢ per kWh3 in 2024, a monthly delivery bill of $76.03 on 930 kWh1. The supplier's own charge comes on top and depends on each contract; EIA publishes no supplier prices by utility area.
Delivery is billed by Duke whoever supplies the power, so the delivery figure touches every home on its wires. Among Ohio's investor-owned utilities in 2025, it compared with 10.26¢ per kWh at AEP Ohio and 7.07¢ per kWh1 at AES Ohio.
The state's official comparison site, Energy Choice Ohio, run by the Public Utilities Commission of Ohio, shows supplier offers for Duke's territory beside Duke's own Standard Service Offer. Because an offer covers supply only, the fair benchmark is the supply portion of that Standard Service Offer; the default-service averages on this page also contain delivery. How to line the two up is explained in retail choice in Ohio.
Across the river: Duke Energy Kentucky
Duke Energy also owns Duke Energy Kentucky, which EIA lists in Boone County, Campbell County, Gallatin County, Grant County, Kenton County and Pendleton County7 counties in Northern Kentucky, across the Ohio River from Hamilton County. It is a separate utility whose rates are set by the Kentucky Public Service Commission. EIA reports no delivery-only residential customers there: all 140,9501 residential customers on its wires bought full service from it in 2025.
| 2025 unless stated, default or full service | Duke Energy Ohio | Duke Energy Kentucky |
|---|---|---|
| Average residential price | 16.83¢ per kWh | 13.86¢ per kWh |
| Change from 2024 | +12.2% | +3.1% |
| Average monthly bill | $154.05 | $128.35 |
| Use per home | 915 kWh | 926 kWh1 |
| Last 12 months (September 2025 to August 2026) | 17.40¢ per kWh | 13.85¢ per kWh |
| August 20264 vs a year earlier | −0.3% | −14.5%2 |
Homes on the two sides used similar amounts of electricity, so the difference in bills comes mostly from price. Across all of Duke's utilities with pages here, 2025 averages ran from 13.41¢ per kWh at Duke Energy Carolinas (North Carolina) to 18.36¢ per kWh at Duke Energy Florida, against a group average of 15.35¢ per kWh. Duke Energy Ohio's increase from 2024 was second only to Duke Energy Indiana's +17.5%1, while the four Carolinas jurisdictions fell. The Duke Energy page compares them all.
Source: EIA-861 annual electric power industry report, 2025 final. EIA-861 2025 final. Average revenue per kWh is all charges divided by kWh; it is not a tariff rate.
Show the numbers
| Utility | average monthly residential bill |
|---|---|
| Duke Energy Kentucky (KY) | $128.35 |
| Duke Energy Carolinas (NC) | $133.63 |
| Duke Energy Indiana (IN) | $148.57 |
| Duke Energy Ohio (OH) | $154.05 |
| Duke Energy Progress (NC) | $158.90 |
| Duke Energy Florida (FL) | $185.26 |
Outages, meters and rooftop solar
In 2025 the average Duke Energy Ohio customer was without power for 178 minutes counting major event days, fewer than the Ohio average of 205 minutes, and 108 minutes with major event days excluded, against 130 minutes statewide. Interruptions averaged 1.02 per customer, against 1.278 for Ohio. Utilities measure these under IEEE 1366.
Smart meters are nearly universal at Duke Energy Ohio: 99.8% of its residential meters were advanced (AMI) in 2025, against 74.5% across Ohio, yet time-based pricing barely registered: 28 homes were enrolled in its time-of-use and critical peak pricing9 programs. Our time-of-use guide shows how hour-by-hour pricing changes a bill.
Rooftop solar was more common than in Ohio overall. Duke reported 6,193 net-metered residential solar installations in 2025, 44.9 megawatts between them: 8.8 per 1,000 residential customers, against 5.89 statewide.
Commercial and industrial customers
Duke Energy Ohio's 19,054 full-service commercial accounts paid an average of 14.11¢ per kWh in 2025, with a monthly bill of $505.53; its 238 full-service industrial accounts paid 11.08¢ per kWh. More businesses bought supply elsewhere: 45,505 commercial accounts paid Duke for delivery only, averaging 3.83¢ per kWh, and 1,476 industrial accounts 1.63¢ per kWh1.
Counties and help with bills
Duke Energy Ohio reported customers in 23 Ohio counties for 2025, according to EIA's territory records: Adams County, Brown County, Butler County, Clark County, Clermont County, Clinton County, Coshocton County, Delaware County, Fairfield County, Franklin County, Greene County, Hamilton County and 11 others. Another distribution utility also reports customers in each of those 237, so knowing the county is not enough; Duke's own service map settles a specific address. Prices exist only at the utility level: EIA has no figure for Cincinnati or any other city or ZIP code.
Source: EIA-861 2025, service territory; Census Bureau, Cartographic boundary file, counties. EIA-861 2025 service territory: 23 counties. Counts whole counties even where the utility serves only part of one; check the utility's own service-area map for an address.
Show the numbers
| County | Other utilities reporting service |
|---|---|
| Adams County | AEP Ohio, South Central Power, Adams Rural Electric Cooperative |
| Brown County | AES Ohio, South Central Power, Adams Rural Electric Cooperative, Village of Georgetown, Village of Ripley, Village of Hamersville |
| Butler County | AES Ohio, City of Hamilton, Butler Rural Electric Cooperative |
| Clark County | Ohio Edison, AES Ohio, Pioneer Rural Electric Cooperative, South Vienna Corporation |
| Clermont County | South Central Power, Village of Bethel |
| Clinton County | AES Ohio, South Central Power, Village of Blanchester |
| Coshocton County | AEP Ohio, Licking Rural Electric, Guernsey-Muskingum El Cooperative, Holmes-Wayne Electric Cooperative, Frontier Power Company |
| Delaware County | AEP Ohio, Ohio Edison, AES Ohio, Licking Rural Electric, Consolidated Cooperative, City of Westerville, Union Rural Electric Cooperative, Prospect Corporation |
| Fairfield County | AEP Ohio, South Central Power |
| Franklin County | AEP Ohio, Ohio Edison, South Central Power, Licking Rural Electric, Consolidated Cooperative, City of Westerville, City of Columbus, Village of Obetz |
| Greene County | Ohio Edison, AES Ohio, Village of Yellow Springs |
| Hamilton County | Butler Rural Electric Cooperative |
| Highland County | AES Ohio, South Central Power, Adams Rural Electric Cooperative |
| Licking County | AEP Ohio, South Central Power, Licking Rural Electric, Consolidated Cooperative, Guernsey-Muskingum El Cooperative, Frontier Power Company |
| Madison County | Ohio Edison, AES Ohio, South Central Power, Pioneer Rural Electric Cooperative |
| Montgomery County | AES Ohio, Pioneer Rural Electric Cooperative, Butler Rural Electric Cooperative |
| Muskingum County | AEP Ohio, South Central Power, Licking Rural Electric, Guernsey-Muskingum El Cooperative, Frontier Power Company |
| Pickaway County | AES Ohio, South Central Power |
| Pike County | AEP Ohio, South Central Power, Buckeye Rural Electric Cooperative, Adams Rural Electric Cooperative, Ohio Valley Electric Corp |
| Preble County | AES Ohio, Butler Rural Electric Cooperative, Darke Rural Electric Cooperative, Village of Eldorado |
| Ross County | AES Ohio, South Central Power, Buckeye Rural Electric Cooperative |
| Scioto County | AEP Ohio, South Central Power, Buckeye Rural Electric Cooperative, Adams Rural Electric Cooperative |
| Warren County | AES Ohio, City of Lebanon |
For households struggling with winter bills, Ohio received $181.2 million11 in federal LIHEAP (Low Income Home Energy Assistance Program) funds for fiscal 2026. Statewide comparisons of all Ohio utilities are on the Ohio page.
Duke Energy Ohio rate questions
How much does Duke Energy Ohio charge per kWh?
EIA publishes averages, not tariff lines. Homes on Duke Energy Ohio's default supply paid an average of 17.40¢ per kWh over the last 12 months (September 2025 to August 2026, 2026 months preliminary), 18.48¢ per kWh2 in August 20264 alone and 16.83¢ per kWh1 in 2025. Each one takes everything those homes paid, including the fixed monthly charge, delivery, generation and riders, and spreads it over the kWh they used; most taxes are left out.
How much is a typical Duke Energy Ohio bill?
Default-service homes averaged $157.31 a month over the last 12 months (September 2025 to August 2026), using 904 kWh2, and $154.05 in 2025, up from $133.283 in 2024. Shoppers, who buy supply from someone else, paid Duke $76.031 a month for delivery in 2025, plus whatever their supplier billed.
Are Duke Energy Ohio rates going up in 2026?
In EIA's monthly figures the default-service average was 18.48¢ per kWh in August 20264, −0.3%2 on August 2025 (preliminary). Between the 2024 and 2025 annual averages it changed +12.2%1. Rate changes need approval from Ohio's utility commission (PUCO).
Does Duke Energy Ohio have time-of-use rates?
Duke Energy Ohio reported time-of-use and critical peak pricing to EIA for 2025, and only 28 homes had signed up, 0.0% of its residential customers, although advanced meters covered 99.8%9 of its residential meters.
Is Duke Energy Ohio the same company as Duke Energy Kentucky?
No. Both belong to Duke Energy, but Duke Energy Ohio, Inc. and Duke Energy Kentucky, Inc. are separate utilities with separate rates, regulated by different state commissions and reported separately to EIA.
Related pages
Sources
- EIA-861 annual electric power industry report, 2025 final; table Sales_Ult_Cust_2025; 2025, final; released October 7, 2026. www.eia.gov
- EIA-861M monthly sales and revenue by utility; table sales_ult_cust_2025 and _2026; released October 23, 2026. www.eia.gov
- EIA-861 annual electric power industry report, 2024 final; table Sales_Ult_Cust_2024; 2024, final (file updated December 3, 2025); released December 3, 2025. www.eia.gov
- EIA, Electric Power Monthly / EIA-861M sales and revenue by state; table sales_revenue.xlsx (EPM Table 5.6.A); January 2001 to 2026-08; months since January 2026 preliminary; released October 23, 2026. www.eia.gov
- Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory, Retail Electricity Price Trends and Drivers; table July 2026 update; 2025 data. eta-publications.lbl.gov
- EIA-861 2025, average monthly bill by state; table Average_Bill_2025; 2025, final; released October 7, 2026. www.eia.gov
- EIA-861 2025, service territory; table Service_Territory_2025; 2025, final; released October 7, 2026. www.eia.gov
- EIA-861 2025, reliability; table Reliability_2025; 2025, final; released October 7, 2026. www.eia.gov
- EIA-861 2025, advanced meters, dynamic pricing and net metering; table Advanced_Meters, Dynamic_Pricing, Net_Metering 2025; 2025, final; released October 7, 2026. www.eia.gov
- Census Bureau, Cartographic boundary file, counties; table cb_2025_us_county_5m; cb_2021_us_county_5m; 2025 (2021 for Connecticut). www.census.gov
- HHS, LIHEAP funding releases to states; table FY2027 first release; FY2026 final; FY2027 first release (October 9, 2026); FY2026 total; released October 9, 2026. acf.gov
How every figure is built: methodology. Found an error? Write to [email protected]; corrections are listed on the updates page.