Verified August 2026
Ohio business electricity rates, by utility
Ohio business supply rates range from 9.38¢ per kWh at Ohio Edison to 13.33¢ at AEP Ohio, while competitive suppliers are offering as low as 7.6¢. The gap is widest in AEP Ohio territory, at roughly 5.73¢ per kWh.
Figures taken from each utility's filed tariff rather than from press coverage, which usually quotes a residential rate no business pays. Reviewed on the first of each month.
| Utility | Supply rate | Gap | Demand charge |
|---|---|---|---|
| AEP OhioColumbus, central Ohio | 13.33¢7.68800¢ energy + 5.64179¢ capacity, billed as two riders | 5.73¢ | None under 10 kW on Schedule GS-1 |
| AES OhioDayton, southwest Ohio | 10.85¢Single Price to Compare, fixed through May 31, 2027 | 3.25¢ | $4.77/kW from the first kW — no exemption |
| Duke Energy OhioCincinnati, southwest Ohio | 10.70¢Price to Compare, up 6.1% from 10.0819¢ | 3.10¢ | Applies above roughly 10 kW |
| Ohio EdisonAkron, northeast Ohio | 9.38¢2.1012¢ capacity + 7.2774¢ energy under Rider GEN | 1.78¢ | $19.6895 up to 5 kW, $7.5886/kW above |
| Lowest competitive supplier | 7.6¢ | — | Suppliers do not set demand charges |
Why the demand charge column matters
The supply rate is the half a business can shop. The demand charge is not — it is set by the utility and billed on a single peak reading, and the four tariffs treat it completely differently. A business under 10 kW pays none of it on AEP's Schedule GS-1, while every AES Ohio business pays it from the first kilowatt. Establishing which side of that line you are on decides whether switching suppliers is the right move at all.
What each utility charges, in detail
Why is my Duke Energy bill so high?
Duke Energy Ohio's default supply rate rose 6% in June 2026 while competitive suppliers sit near 7.6¢/kWh. What the gap costs a small business, and when switching is the wrong move.
Why is my Ohio Edison bill so high?
Ohio Edison's Rider GEN rate for General Service customers rose almost 6% in June 2026. What the gap against competitive suppliers costs, and why a demand charge may be the real culprit.
Why is my AEP Ohio bill so high?
AEP Ohio splits generation across two riders, so the Price to Compare quoted in the news is a residential figure no business pays. What a GS-1 account actually pays, and why the April transmission increase can't be shopped away.
Why is my AES Ohio bill so high?
AES Ohio's supply rate holds at 10.85¢/kWh until May 2027, but the charge that surprises Dayton business owners is the demand charge — billed from the first kilowatt, with no small-business exemption.
How Ohio electricity choice works
Ohio energy choice, explained for business owners
Ohio deregulated retail electricity in 1999, so every business can buy supply from someone other than its utility. What choice covers, what it doesn't, and when it isn't worth exercising.
Apples to Apples Ohio: what the PUCO tool shows a business, and what it doesn't
The state's free supplier comparison is the only one in Ohio not paid for by the suppliers it lists. What it shows a business, what it can't, and how to read a commercial rate on it.
The average electric bill in Ohio
What the average Ohio electric bill is, and why the average is the wrong number to compare yours against.
Natural gas in Ohio
Gas was deregulated alongside electricity, but the default rate is reset every month against the market price rather than held for a year. Three utilities call it the Standard Choice Offer; Duke bills a Gas Cost Recovery rate under a Standard Service Offer, at roughly triple Enbridge's. These are August 2026 rates, the cheapest month of the year.
| Utility | Default rate per Ccf | Territory |
|---|---|---|
| Enbridge Gas Ohio | $0.3425 SCO | Cleveland, Akron and northeast Ohio |
| CenterPoint Energy Ohio | $0.4566 SCO | Dayton and west central Ohio |
| Columbia Gas of Ohio | $0.4975 SCO | Columbus, Toledo and much of central and western Ohio |
| Duke Energy Ohio | $1.037 SSO | Cincinnati and southwest Ohio |
Ohio natural gas choice, explained
How Ohio's natural gas choice program works, what the Standard Choice Offer costs, and when a supplier beats it.
Apples to Apples for Ohio natural gas
How to read PUCO's Apples to Apples gas comparison, and what the table leaves out.
Natural gas suppliers in Ohio
Ohio's certified natural gas suppliers, what to check in an offer, and how to compare against the SCO.
Columbia Gas of Ohio rates
Columbia Gas of Ohio's Standard Choice Offer, how it is set, and when a supplier offer beats it.
Supply rates come from each utility's filed tariff with the Public Utilities Commission of Ohio. The competitive rate is the lowest offer listed on Apples to Apples — and what it does and doesn't tell a business, the regulator's own comparison tool. Gaps cover the supply portion only and exclude delivery, demand charges and taxes.
We also read the delivery tariffs in Texas — Oncor and CenterPoint, where the rules work nothing like Ohio's.