Geauga 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 Geauga County?
Geauga County is split among two investor-owned utilities: The Illuminating Company serves the largest share, with Ohio Edison serving other areas. Businesses on an investor-owned utility can choose a PUCO-certified generation supplier; co-op members and municipal-system customers generally cannot. Geauga County is in northeast Ohio, with its county seat in Chardon and 95,397 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 |
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.
Default prices for the utilities in Geauga 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 Geauga 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.
- 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.
Geauga 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 |
|---|---|---|
| Lake County | Painesville (10 mi from Chardon) | The Illuminating Company |
| Cuyahoga County | Cleveland (25 mi from Chardon) | The Illuminating Company and Ohio Edison |
| Ashtabula County | Jefferson (26 mi from Chardon) | The Illuminating Company and Ohio Edison |
| Portage County | Ravenna (28 mi from Chardon) | Ohio Edison and The Illuminating Company |
No city guide on this site is inside Geauga County; the closest ones to Chardon are Painesville (10 mi, Painesville Municipal Electric), Mentor (11 mi, The Illuminating Company), and Willoughby (11 mi, The Illuminating Company).
FAQ: Geauga County electricity
What electric companies serve Geauga County, Ohio?
The Illuminating Company and Ohio Edison.
Can businesses in Geauga 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.
How do I know which utility serves my Geauga 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 Geauga County
Use a meter schedule rather than one county-wide assumption
Geauga County is in northeast Ohio and its county seat is Chardon. 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.
There is no separately maintained city guide in this county’s current city inventory. Use the utility named on the actual bill rather than substituting a nearby city’s information.
The existing county inventory identifies cooperative context including no separately listed cooperative in this dataset and municipal context including no separately listed municipal system in this dataset. 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.