Cuyahoga County, Ohio Electric Utilities & Business Choice
Market-reference note: Numerical default-price examples below retain their cited 2026 reference period. They are historical class-level context, not a current account quote. Confirm the applicable business rate, components and effective dates on your bill before comparing an offer. How to establish your benchmark.
Who provides electricity in Cuyahoga County?
Cuyahoga County is split among two investor-owned utilities: The Illuminating Company serves the largest share, with Ohio Edison serving other areas. Municipal electric systems operate in Cleveland (Cleveland Public Power). Businesses on an investor-owned utility can choose a PUCO-certified generation supplier; co-op members and municipal-system customers generally cannot. Cuyahoga County is in northeast Ohio, with its county seat in Cleveland and 1,264,817 residents (2020 Census).
| Provider | Type | Can businesses choose a supplier? |
|---|---|---|
| The Illuminating Company | Investor-owned distribution utility | Yes |
| Ohio Edison | Investor-owned distribution utility | Yes |
| Cleveland (Cleveland Public Power) | Municipal electric system | Generally no |
Utility boundaries follow service-territory maps, not township or city lines, so two buildings a mile apart can have different providers. The utility name on each bill is the final word. What co-op and municipal customers can do instead of shopping is covered in municipal and co-op areas.
Default prices for the utilities in Cuyahoga County
| Utility | Small-business default generation price | Period |
|---|---|---|
| The Illuminating Company | Historical class reference: 9.45¢/kWh, GS rate | June 1, 2026 – May 31, 2027, annual average |
| Ohio Edison | Historical class reference: 9.38¢/kWh, GS rate | June 1, 2026 – May 31, 2027, annual average |
All of these utilities sit in PJM, where the capacity price that feeds into generation costs is $329.17/MW-day for June 2026–May 2027 and $333.44 for 2027/28, versus $28.92 in 2024/25.
Buying for several sites in Cuyahoga County
- Split the bid by utility. Suppliers price The Illuminating Company and Ohio Edison accounts separately, so a single county-wide price isn't realistic.
- Pull out co-op and municipal meters. They generally can't be enrolled with a retail supplier; sending them wastes suppliers' credit reviews and slows quotes.
- Check aggregation status. Accounts at 700,000 kWh a year or less may already be in a community aggregation program; note each account's current supplier and end date.
- Co-term contracts. Aligning end dates lets you re-bid the whole portfolio at once instead of renewing one site at a time.
Cuyahoga County and its neighbors
Northeast Ohio is mostly FirstEnergy territory (Ohio Edison and The Illuminating Company), with AEP Ohio around Canton and parts of the southern tier. NOPEC's opt-out aggregation is common here, and several cities run municipal systems (for example Cuyahoga Falls, Hudson, Niles, Painesville and Wadsworth).
| Neighboring county | County seat | Investor-owned utilities |
|---|---|---|
| Lorain County | Elyria (24 mi from Cleveland) | Ohio Edison and The Illuminating Company |
| Geauga County | Chardon (25 mi from Cleveland) | The Illuminating Company and Ohio Edison |
| Medina County | Medina (26 mi from Cleveland) | Ohio Edison |
| Lake County | Painesville (27 mi from Cleveland) | The Illuminating Company |
City guides in Cuyahoga County
- Cleveland — The Illuminating Company; aggregation: SOPEC (member community)
- Cleveland Heights — The Illuminating Company; aggregation: NOPEC (listed member community)
- Euclid — The Illuminating Company
- Garfield Heights — The Illuminating Company; aggregation: NOPEC (listed member community)
- Lakewood — The Illuminating Company; aggregation: NOPEC (listed member community)
- Maple Heights — The Illuminating Company; aggregation: NOPEC (listed member community)
- North Olmsted — The Illuminating Company; aggregation: NOPEC (listed member community)
- North Royalton — The Illuminating Company; aggregation: NOPEC (listed member community)
- Parma — The Illuminating Company; aggregation: NOPEC (listed member community)
- Shaker Heights — The Illuminating Company
- Solon — The Illuminating Company; aggregation: NOPEC (listed member community)
- Strongsville — The Illuminating Company; aggregation: NOPEC (listed member community)
- Westlake — The Illuminating Company
Multi-site guides by industry in Cuyahoga County
- Apartment buildings & multifamily across Cuyahoga County
- Auto dealerships across Cuyahoga County
- Breweries across Cuyahoga County
- Car washes across Cuyahoga County
- Churches & places of worship across Cuyahoga County
- Cold storage & refrigerated warehouses across Cuyahoga County
- Data centers across Cuyahoga County
- Fitness centers & gyms across Cuyahoga County
- Grocery stores & supermarkets across Cuyahoga County
- Hotels & motels across Cuyahoga County
- Laundromats across Cuyahoga County
- Manufacturing across Cuyahoga County
- Medical offices & outpatient clinics across Cuyahoga County
- Nursing homes & senior living across Cuyahoga County
- Office buildings across Cuyahoga County
- Restaurants & food service across Cuyahoga County
- Retail stores across Cuyahoga County
- Schools & universities across Cuyahoga County
- Shopping centers & strip malls across Cuyahoga County
- Warehouses & distribution centers across Cuyahoga County
FAQ: Cuyahoga County electricity
What electric companies serve Cuyahoga County, Ohio?
The Illuminating Company, Ohio Edison, and Cleveland (Cleveland Public Power).
Can businesses in Cuyahoga County choose an electricity supplier?
Yes, if the account is on The Illuminating Company or Ohio Edison. Cooperative members and municipal-system customers generally cannot.
Which utility serves Cleveland, the county seat?
The Illuminating Company. See the Cleveland guide.
How do I know which utility serves my Cuyahoga County building?
Look at the name printed on the bill's delivery section. If you're buying or leasing a new site, ask the landlord or seller for a recent bill before comparing costs.
Decision worksheet: service areas within Cuyahoga County
Use a meter schedule rather than one county-wide assumption
Cuyahoga County is in northeast Ohio and its county seat is Cleveland. A county portfolio should begin with each legal customer, utility name and service address. Investor-owned utility coverage, municipal systems and cooperative service do not stop neatly at the same administrative boundaries.
| Local guide | Starting utility context | Enrollment check |
|---|---|---|
| Cleveland | The Illuminating Company | Confirm the delivery utility at the actual meter |
| Cleveland Heights | The Illuminating Company | Confirm the delivery utility at the actual meter |
| Euclid | The Illuminating Company | Confirm the delivery utility at the actual meter |
| Garfield Heights | The Illuminating Company | Confirm the delivery utility at the actual meter |
| Lakewood | The Illuminating Company | Confirm the delivery utility at the actual meter |
| Maple Heights | The Illuminating Company | Confirm the delivery utility at the actual meter |
| North Olmsted | The Illuminating Company | Confirm the delivery utility at the actual meter |
| North Royalton | The Illuminating Company | Confirm the delivery utility at the actual meter |
| Parma | The Illuminating Company | Confirm the delivery utility at the actual meter |
| Shaker Heights | The Illuminating Company | Confirm the delivery utility at the actual meter |
| Solon | The Illuminating Company | Confirm the delivery utility at the actual meter |
| Strongsville | The Illuminating Company | Confirm the delivery utility at the actual meter |
| Westlake | The Illuminating Company | Confirm the delivery utility at the actual meter |
The existing county inventory identifies cooperative context including no separately listed cooperative in this dataset and municipal context including Cleveland (Cleveland Public Power). This is not an exhaustive address-level determination; confirm service directly before enrolling a meter.
Assign responsibilities before a portfolio bid
Give one person ownership of the service-address list, another responsibility for expected operating changes, and a named signer responsibility for contract authority. These roles may be held by one person, but they should not be assumed from who receives the monthly invoice. Tenant, franchise and property-management arrangements deserve a separate authority check.
Keep non-shoppable accounts in the operating-cost review while excluding them from retail-supplier enrollment schedules. For eligible accounts, compare start dates, included supply components, additional fees and site-removal rights. A master agreement is a contractual structure, not a guarantee that every meter receives the same price or automatic savings.
Use the comparison tools without sending financial inputs to the website. The first inquiry needs only business, utility and the decision you want help with. For definitions, consult PUCO’s customer-choice guidance.