Ohio energy choice: suppliers, aggregation and the Standard Service Offer
In 2025, 58.1% of Ohio's residential customers bought their electricity supply from a competitive supplier or a community aggregation instead of their utility, the 2nd highest share among the states. Those customers paid an average of 8.61¢ per kWh1 for supply alone, a lower supply-only average than in Pennsylvania or Illinois, while delivery stayed with the six utilities that own the wires.
Midwest region, East North Central division
Energy Choice Ohio and the Apples to Apples chart
The official place to compare electricity offers in Ohio is Energy Choice Ohio, run by the Public Utilities Commission of Ohio (PUCO). It lists supplier offers by utility area in what the commission calls the Apples to Apples chart, beside the utility's own default supply, the Standard Service Offer (SSO). Suppliers must send the commission at least one current residential offer for the chart within four calendar days of making it to Ohio customers: the supply price per kWh for a fixed-rate contract, the factors that move the price for a variable one, every recurring and one-time charge, and the contract length (PUCO rule on general provisions).
The chart covers only the supply half of a bill. The commission's rules call suppliers competitive retail electric service (CRES) providers, and every residential CRES contract has to state that the customer will also pay service and delivery charges to the electric utility (PUCO rule on contract disclosure). Those delivery charges are the same whichever supplier a home picks.
Six utility areas where homes can shop
Choice is open where one of the six investor-owned utilities that serve Ohio homes delivers the power: AEP Ohio, Ohio Edison, Duke Energy Ohio, The Illuminating Company, AES Ohio and Toledo Edison. In EIA's 2025 data they were the only Ohio utilities reporting residential customers who bought supply elsewhere. The state's electric cooperatives (303,962 residential customers) and city utilities (237,0191) reported full-service customers only, as did the largest cooperative, South Central Power.
In 2025, 2,565,864 Ohio residential accounts bought their supply from a competitive supplier or through an aggregation, 58.1% of all the state's residential customers. That was the 2nd highest share among the 50 states and DC; Massachusetts had the highest, 63.6%, and the national figure was 15.1%. EIA counted 681 suppliers and aggregation programs with residential customers in Ohio.
Source: EIA-861 annual electric power industry report, 2025 final. Residential customers of energy-only suppliers and community choice aggregators (plus Texas retail electric providers) as a share of all residential customers (EIA-861 2025, EIA customer counting: bundled + energy-only + Texas retail provider accounts). Includes municipal or community aggregation where it is reported as energy-only.
Show the numbers
| State | Customers with a supplier |
|---|---|
| Massachusetts | 63.6% |
| Ohio | 58.1% |
| Texas | 55.5% |
| California | 42.1% |
| New Hampshire | 40.8% |
| Rhode Island | 25.9% |
| Illinois | 22.5% |
| Pennsylvania | 22.4% |
| Connecticut | 16.3% |
| United States | 15.1% |
| District of Columbia | 10.3% |
| New York | 7.3% |
| Maine | 7.1% |
| New Jersey | 6.1% |
| Delaware | 5.6% |
| Maryland | 4.8% |
Shopping was most common in The Illuminating Company's area. In 2025, 79.7% of The Illuminating Company's residential customers bought supply elsewhere, in an area that covers Ashtabula County, Cuyahoga County, Geauga County, Lake County, Lorain County, Medina County, Portage County, Summit County and Trumbull County2, and 72.4% of Ohio Edison's did. The shares were lower at AES Ohio (69.6%), Toledo Edison (69.3%), Duke Energy Ohio (60.3%) and AEP Ohio (60.1%). AEP Ohio still had the most shopping customers by count, 810,877, because it has the most residential customers on its wires, 1,348,5881. EIA's data do not explain the gap between areas.
Aggregation: when the local government chooses
Part of Ohio's shopping happens without any individual sign-up. Under the commission's rules, a governmental aggregator, a local government that buys supply for the accounts within its boundaries, can enroll customers automatically; the consent rules that apply to suppliers do not apply to that automatic enrollment (PUCO rule on enrollment and consent). An aggregation program runs for a fixed term of one to three years (PUCO rule on definitions).
The protection is the opt-out notice. Before adding an account, the aggregator must mail a notice marked "important notice regarding your electric service" that gives the supply price, any other fees and early termination penalties, and the program dates. Customers have at least 21 days from the postmark to opt out, by postcard or a similar notice, and can opt out at least every three years without penalty. Those who opt out before the program starts are served under the utility's Standard Service Offer unless they choose a supplier (PUCO rule on opt-out disclosure).
EIA counts aggregation customers together with customers of individual supplier contracts, so the shares and averages on this page include both and cannot separate them.
What each part of the Ohio market paid in 2025
EIA's annual census splits Ohio's residential market into three groups of revenue, each an average per kWh over 2025. Customers on the Standard Service Offer paid their utilities 16.82¢ per kWh, supply and delivery together. Supplier and aggregation customers paid their suppliers 8.61¢ per kWh for supply only, and paid their utilities 8.35¢ per kWh1 for delivery only.
Source: EIA-861 annual electric power industry report, 2025 final. Average revenue per kWh by service part, EIA-861 2025. Supply-only and delivery-only averages each cover only part of a bill and different groups of customers; adding them gives only a rough estimate of what a shopping customer paid in total.
Show the numbers
| Part of the market | ¢/kWh |
|---|---|
| Utility full-service customers (default service): supply and delivery | 16.82¢ |
| Competitive suppliers and CCAs: supply only | 8.61¢ |
| Utility delivery for customers of a supplier: delivery only | 8.35¢ |
The three figures describe different customers and different parts of the bill, so none of them is a price on offer today, and the supply and delivery averages should not be added and set against the default figure. The supply average spreads over every contract in force during the year: fixed and variable, new and expiring, individual and aggregated. It is a record of what was paid, not an offer.
Among the states where 1% or more of homes buy from a supplier, Ohio's supply-only average was lower than Pennsylvania's (12.92¢ per kWh) and Illinois's (10.75¢ per kWh1) in 2025. Where each state draws the line between supply and delivery differs: an Ohio supplier's fixed price may include transmission as well as generation, as the contract has to state (PUCO rule on contract disclosure).
Source: EIA-861 annual electric power industry report, 2025 final. Supply only; delivery is billed separately by the utility. Period: 2025.
Show the numbers
| State | Energy-only suppliers: average residential revenue per kWh, 2025 |
|---|---|
| Ohio | 8.61¢ |
| Illinois | 10.75¢ |
| Connecticut | 11.78¢ |
| New Hampshire | 11.83¢ |
| Pennsylvania | 12.92¢ |
| Maryland | 13.27¢ |
| Rhode Island | 14.34¢ |
| California | 14.48¢ |
| New York | 14.79¢ |
| Maine | 14.92¢ |
| Massachusetts | 15.22¢ |
| Delaware | 15.72¢ |
| New Jersey | 17.85¢ |
| District of Columbia | 20.87¢ |
Delivery: the part no supplier changes
Every Ohio customer who shops keeps paying the local utility for delivery, and what that cost depended on the utility. AEP Ohio billed its supplier customers 10.26¢ per kWh for delivery, against 7.07¢ per kWh at AES Ohio and 7.42¢ per kWh1 at Ohio Edison. These are averages per kWh of what each utility billed residential customers who buy supply elsewhere, not tariff rates.
Source: EIA-861 annual electric power industry report, 2025 final. Delivery charges only: what the utility billed customers who buy supply elsewhere, divided by their kWh. Not comparable with bundled prices.
Show the numbers
| Utility | delivery-only revenue per kWh (residential) |
|---|---|
| AES Ohio (OH) | 7.07¢ |
| Ohio Edison (OH) | 7.42¢ |
| The Illuminating Company (OH) | 7.71¢ |
| Toledo Edison (OH) | 7.89¢ |
| Duke Energy Ohio (OH) | 8.17¢ |
| AEP Ohio (OH) | 10.26¢ |
In monthly terms, the delivery part of the bill averaged $89.55 for AEP Ohio's supplier customers, who used 873 kWh a month in 2025, and $54.59 for The Illuminating Company's, who used 708 kWh. Duke Energy Ohio's supplier customers paid $76.03 a month for delivery on 930 kWh1.
The direction also differed from 2024 to 2025. AES Ohio's delivery-only average went from 5.97¢ per kWh3 to 7.07¢ per kWh (+18.4%); the changes were +4.6% at Duke Energy Ohio and −4.6%1 at AEP Ohio. A supplier contract does not shield a home from such changes.
Reading an offer against the Standard Service Offer
The commission's rules decide what a residential contract must show (PUCO rule on contract disclosure), which makes the comparison mostly a matter of reading the right lines:
- Compare supply with supply. Set an offer's price per kWh against the Standard Service Offer that Energy Choice Ohio shows for your utility, not against a whole bill or against EIA's 16.82¢ per kWh1 default-service average, which includes delivery.
- Know what kind of price it is. A variable-rate contract must give either a formula tied to public indices or an explanation of what makes the price change and how often; a supplier that only explains the factors may not charge an early termination fee.
- Find every fee. Enrollment documents must list the dollar amount of all recurring and one-time charges, including early termination fees (PUCO rule on enrollment and consent).
- Watch the end date. The supplier must send written notice of a contract's expiration 45 to 90 days before it ends. If the renewed contract would carry an early termination fee above the rule's small limit, or no way to cancel, the supplier needs the customer's consent, and a customer who does not respond returns to the utility (PUCO rule on contract administration).
- Use the cancellation window. For contracts signed through direct solicitation, such as door to door, the utility sends a confirmation notice and the customer has seven calendar days to rescind by contacting the utility (PUCO rule on enrollment and consent).
Customers on the Percentage of Income Payment Plan (PIPP) are outside the shopping market: suppliers may not knowingly enroll them, and their supply is arranged by the state's development services agency (PUCO rule on enrollment and consent). Ohio received $181.2 million4 in federal energy assistance (LIHEAP) for fiscal 2026; the help paying your electric bill guide covers the programs.
What Ohio homes paid over the last 12 months
The split between default and supplier customers comes once a year. The monthly figures used on this site are statewide residential averages that cover both groups together: 18.41¢ per kWh over the last 12 months (September 2025 to August 2026), 11.7% more than in the 12 months before, the 6th highest increase among the states. In August 2026 alone, homes paid 19.38¢ per kWh, +10.4%5 on the same month a year earlier; 2026 months are preliminary. The next annual split, for 2026, is due from EIA in August 2027.
The Ohio state page covers prices, bills and utilities in full; the delivery vs supply guide and the Price to Compare guide explain the two halves of a bill and default-service prices.
Ohio energy choice: questions
What is the Apples to Apples chart in Ohio?
The list of supplier offers that the Public Utilities Commission of Ohio publishes on Energy Choice Ohio (energychoice.ohio.gov), sorted by utility area and shown next to that utility's Standard Service Offer. Suppliers must submit at least one current residential offer for it, with the price per kWh for supply, any fees and the contract length. It covers supply only; delivery charges stay with the utility.
What is the Standard Service Offer?
The default supply of an Ohio investor-owned utility: what a customer who has not chosen a supplier, or who opted out of a local aggregation, receives. In 2025, Ohio's default-service residential customers paid their utilities an average of 16.82¢ per kWh1 for supply and delivery together (EIA-861). That is an average over the year, not the current price on the Apples to Apples chart.
How many Ohio homes buy electricity from a supplier?
2,565,864 residential accounts in 2025, 58.1% of all of Ohio's residential customers, according to EIA. The count includes customers enrolled through governmental aggregation. The share ranged from 60.1% of AEP Ohio's residential delivery customers to 79.7%1 of The Illuminating Company's.
Can I leave a community electricity aggregation in Ohio?
Yes. Before an account is added, the governmental aggregator must mail a notice with the price and fees and give at least 21 days from the postmark to opt out, and customers can opt out at least every three years without penalty (PUCO rule on opt-out disclosure). Customers who opt out before the program starts stay on the utility's Standard Service Offer unless they pick a supplier.
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-861 2025, service territory; table Service_Territory_2025; 2025, final; released October 7, 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
- 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
- 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
How every figure is built: methodology. Found an error? Write to [email protected]; corrections are listed on the updates page.