Dayton Business Electricity: AES Ohio Rates & Choice

Electric utility: AES Ohio · Montgomery 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 Dayton?

Most businesses in Dayton (Montgomery County) are served by AES Ohio, a subsidiary of The AES Corporation. Because Dayton is in AES 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 AES Ohio keeps delivering the power, reading the meter and restoring outages.

Dayton at a glance
Population (2020 Census)	137,644
County	Montgomery County (county seat: Dayton)
Electric utility (delivery)	AES Ohio
Can businesses choose a supplier?	Yes, for accounts on AES Ohio
Default generation price, small business	Varies by rate schedule — shown on your bill
Community aggregation	SOPEC (member community)
Grid operator / capacity zone	PJM Interconnection, DAY zone
Capacity price, June 2026–May 2027	$329.17/MW-day (up from $28.92 in 2024/25)

Dayton's business base

Dayton had 137,644 residents in the 2020 Census and the county seat. Montgomery County seat; diversified economy anchored by healthcare. Large employers and institutions include Premier Health Partners, Kettering Health Network, Dayton Children's Hospital, and University of Dayton. 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 AES Ohio

AES Ohio does not publish one small-business price to compare — it depends on your rate schedule (secondary service) and appears on your bill. For reference, PUCO's residential price to compare for AES Ohio was 10.86¢/kWh for June 2026 – May 2027 annual average; business figures differ.

That default — PUCO calls it the price to compare — is what a Dayton 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. AES Ohio's latest rate-case status: PUCO accepted a settlement in November 2025 raising AES Ohio base distribution revenue by about $168 million a year; a three-year plan for 2027–2029 filed July 21, 2026 proposes roughly 1% average annual increases.

AES Ohio — the former Dayton Power & Light — raised base distribution revenue by about $168 million a year under a November 2025 settlement and filed a three-year plan in July 2026 proposing roughly 1% annual increases for 2027–2029. Those are delivery charges; supply remains shoppable.

North of Dayton, Piqua runs its own municipal power system; businesses there cannot choose a supplier, while Troy and Sidney are AES Ohio territory.

Is Dayton in a community aggregation program?

Dayton is listed as a member community of SOPEC, a council of governments whose electric aggregation covers eligible residential and small commercial accounts, with AEP Energy as the generation supplier. Community-specific rates are posted on SOPEC's site.

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 Dayton 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.

Dayton'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
Riverside	3 miles	AES Ohio
Kettering	5 miles	AES Ohio
Huber Heights	6 miles	AES Ohio
Beavercreek	7 miles	AES Ohio
Trotwood	8 miles	AES Ohio

All five are AES Ohio territory, so one supplier price usually covers a portfolio across them.

Switching suppliers in Dayton

Send 12 months of AES 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 AES Ohio's default price on the same usage. AES Ohio switches your supply on a scheduled meter-read date after enrollment is processed — typically one to two billing cycles. Step-by-step detail is in our AES Ohio guide.

FAQ: business electricity in Dayton

What electric company serves businesses in Dayton, Ohio?

AES Ohio delivers electricity to most businesses in Dayton.

Can a business in Dayton choose its electricity supplier?

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

What is the price to compare for Dayton businesses?

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

Is there electric aggregation for businesses in Dayton?

Dayton is listed as a member community of SOPEC, a council of governments whose electric aggregation covers eligible residential and small commercial accounts, with AEP Energy as the generation supplier. Small accounts that never chose a supplier may be enrolled automatically and can opt out.

How long does it take to switch suppliers in Dayton?

AES Ohio switches your supply on a scheduled meter-read date after enrollment is processed — typically one to two billing cycles. Small commercial customers then have 7 days from the utility's confirmation letter to cancel.

Decision worksheet: a business site in Dayton

Resolve the account before the price

For an account whose bill names AES Ohio, check its actual business rate class and current supply arrangement. A nearby municipal or cooperative account can have different options. Start with the delivery company, legal customer and service address; a city name cannot establish those details.

The useful county-level comparison is Montgomery County. Other city guides from that county include Centerville, Huber Heights, Kettering, Riverside, Trotwood. 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 Dayton 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 AES 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.