Columbus Business Electricity: AEP Ohio Rates & Choice

Electric utility: AEP Ohio · Franklin County

Updated October 15, 2026Ohio Commercial Energy editorial teamHow we review content Book a free 15-min bill review

Who supplies electricity to businesses in Columbus?

Most businesses in Columbus (Franklin County) are served by AEP Ohio, a subsidiary of American Electric Power (AEP). Because Columbus is in AEP Ohio's territory, a business can buy the generation part of its electricity from any supplier certified by the Public Utilities Commission of Ohio (PUCO), while AEP Ohio keeps delivering the power, reading the meter and restoring outages.

AEP Ohio begins operating under the name Ohio Power Company on October 1, 2026 (website OhioPowerCo.com). The utility says rates, service, account numbers and supplier choice don't change.

The City of Columbus Division of Power serves about 12,500 meters (homes and businesses) in defined areas; those accounts cannot choose a competitive supplier. AEP Ohio serves the large majority of the city.

Columbus at a glance
Population (2020 Census)	905,748
County	Franklin County (county seat: Columbus)
Electric utility (delivery)	AEP Ohio
Can businesses choose a supplier?	Yes, for accounts on AEP Ohio (not Columbus Division of Power accounts)
Default generation price, small business	Varies by rate schedule — shown on your bill
Community aggregation	Clean Energy Columbus (city program)
Grid operator / capacity zone	PJM Interconnection, AEP zone
Capacity price, June 2026–May 2027	$329.17/MW-day (up from $28.92 in 2024/25)

Columbus's business base

Columbus had 905,748 residents in the 2020 Census and the county seat. State capital; diverse economy (education, insurance, banking, logistics, healthcare). Large employers and institutions include Ohio State University, Nationwide Mutual Insurance Company, American Electric Power, and Huntington Bancshares. Hospitals, campuses and plants tend to buy through structured bids with interval data, while offices, shops and restaurants usually fall under Ohio's 700,000 kWh-a-year “mercantile” line and buy standard small-business products.

The price to beat on AEP Ohio

AEP Ohio does not publish one small-business price to compare — it depends on your rate schedule (GS-1 / GS-2) and appears on your bill. For reference, PUCO's residential price to compare for AEP Ohio was 10.97¢/kWh for July 1 – Sept 30, 2026; business figures differ.

That default — PUCO calls it the price to compare — is what a Columbus business pays for generation if it never signs with a supplier. A supplier offer only helps if its all-in generation price, including capacity and any broker fee, beats it on your usage. Statewide, EIA data show the average all-in commercial price rose to about 13.78¢/kWh in the first half of 2026 from 11.07¢ a year earlier, mostly because PJM capacity prices jumped from $28.92 to $329.17 per MW-day.

The delivery utility remains responsible for the wires. Tariff charges can change over time; confirm which transmission and other components are included in a supply offer. AEP Ohio's latest rate-case status: PUCO approved a settlement on April 1, 2026: base distribution revenue +$11 million (AEP asked for $97 million), offset by a roughly $105 million tax refund over 18 months, for a net annual revenue decrease of about $58.7 million. AEP Ohio is also moving to a three-part bill (distribution, transmission, generation) starting in fall 2026.

Central Ohio is where Ohio's electric demand is growing fastest. Large data-center campuses around New Albany, Hilliard and Dublin led AEP Ohio to adopt its 2025 data-center tariff, which requires new data-center loads over 25 MW to pay for at least 85% of the capacity they reserve. The tariff doesn't apply to ordinary businesses, but grid build-out for that growth flows into transmission charges everyone pays.

Is Columbus in a community aggregation program?

Columbus runs Clean Energy Columbus, its own opt-out program: AEP Energy supplies 100% renewable power at 10.01¢/kWh fixed for June 2026–May 2027 to eligible residents and small businesses on AEP Ohio (not Columbus Division of Power accounts).

Opt-out aggregation automatically enrolls small accounts (700,000 kWh a year or less) that haven't chosen a supplier; accounts already under contract are excluded and larger “mercantile” accounts join only if they opt in. If your Columbus bill names an aggregation supplier you never picked, that is why. You can leave for a commercial offer priced on your own usage — compare the aggregation price with it first. How aggregation interacts with a business contract is covered in governmental aggregation for Ohio businesses.

Columbus's neighbors and multi-site buying

If you run locations in more than one town, price them by utility. The nearest cities covered on this site:

City	Distance	Electric utility
Westerville	5 miles	Westerville Electric Division — municipal, cannot shop
Dublin	6 miles	AEP Ohio
Upper Arlington	6 miles	AEP Ohio
Hilliard	8 miles	AEP Ohio
Gahanna	9 miles	AEP Ohio

Nearby sites fall under Westerville Electric Division as well as AEP Ohio, so expect a separate price per utility even from one supplier — and leave municipal-utility sites out of the bid.

Industry cost guides for Columbus

Switching suppliers in Columbus

Send 12 months of AEP Ohio bills (interval data for larger sites), the account numbers and the legal name on the account, plus any current supplier's end date. Ask every bidder to show capacity and broker compensation as separate lines (how broker fees work), and compare each offer with AEP Ohio's default price on the same usage. AEP Ohio requires a supplier to submit your enrollment at least 12 days before your next scheduled meter read; the switch then takes effect on that read. Step-by-step detail is in our AEP Ohio guide.

FAQ: business electricity in Columbus

What electric company serves businesses in Columbus, Ohio?

AEP Ohio delivers electricity to most businesses in Columbus. AEP Ohio begins operating under the name Ohio Power Company on October 1, 2026. The City of Columbus Division of Power serves about 12,500 meters (homes and businesses) in defined areas; those accounts cannot choose a competitive supplier. AEP Ohio serves the large majority of the city.

Can a business in Columbus choose its electricity supplier?

Yes. Businesses on AEP Ohio can buy generation from any PUCO-certified supplier; AEP Ohio keeps delivering power and restoring outages.

What is the price to compare for Columbus businesses?

It depends on your AEP Ohio rate schedule and is printed on your bill; AEP Ohio publishes business figures through a bill-specific tool rather than one number.

Is there electric aggregation for businesses in Columbus?

How long does it take to switch suppliers in Columbus?

AEP Ohio requires a supplier to submit your enrollment at least 12 days before your next scheduled meter read; the switch then takes effect on that read. Small commercial customers then have 7 days from the utility's confirmation letter to cancel.

Decision worksheet: a business site in Columbus

Resolve the account before the price

This city includes municipal and investor-owned service. Record the utility for every meter before describing the whole property or portfolio as shoppable. Start with the delivery company, legal customer and service address; a city name cannot establish those details.

The useful county-level comparison is Franklin County. Other city guides from that county include Dublin, Gahanna, Grove City, Hilliard, Reynoldsburg. Those links describe related service-area questions, not a promise that every address shares one provider.

Three different decisions can sit behind one bill question

Your Columbus situation	First document to check	Appropriate next step
Existing supplier agreement is ending	Signed renewal/termination clause and last complete bill	Use the renewal planner, then confirm the actual contractual notice dates
Building operation or ownership is changing	Lease/ownership responsibility and the expected load change	Ask about assignment, add/delete rights and volume tolerances before quoting
Bill is higher but operations look unchanged	Comparable kWh, demand and charge components for the same period	Separate price, usage and demand effects rather than assuming a supply switch fixes everything

For this local review, the AEP Ohio guide explains the supply-versus-delivery distinction. Keep tax, banking and account identifiers out of the first inquiry. A discussion can establish whether any private document exchange is needed.

Reference: PUCO choice and bill definitions. This decision worksheet adds account-level checks; it is not a new address-level territory survey.