How to Choose a Commercial Electricity Supplier in Ohio
The short answer
Price gets a supplier onto the shortlist; the rest of the checklist decides whether it should win. Confirm PUCO certification, judge financial strength, read the contract terms behind the price, decide how you want to be billed (utility consolidated or dual billing), test customer service and data access, and check what any renewable claim actually delivers. Then score the finalists side by side, because the supplier you pick will hold your price — and your account — for years.
For running the bid that produces the shortlist, see the commercial RFP process; for managing the supplier after you sign, see managing your electricity supplier; and for the other side of the credit check — what suppliers ask of you — see supplier credit checks and deposits.
1. Certification and standing
- Certified by PUCO. Every competitive retail electric service (CRES) supplier serving Ohio customers must hold a PUCO certificate. Look up the exact legal name on PUCO's list of regulated companies (https://puco.ohio.gov/documents-and-rules/list).
- Current and matching. Certificates run for two years; confirm it's current and that the certified entity is the one on your contract.
- Active where you are. Confirm the supplier serves your utility territory — AEP Ohio, Duke Energy Ohio, AES Ohio, Ohio Edison, The Illuminating Company or Toledo Edison — and accounts of your size.
- Track record. Ask how long it has served Ohio business customers, and search PUCO's docket for recent enforcement cases involving it.
2. Financial strength
A fixed price is only as good as the supplier's ability to honor it. If a supplier exits the market or defaults, customers are generally returned to the utility's default service at whatever that price is — and you lose the fixed rate you budgeted.
Ask for:
- The parent company and whether it or the supplier carries a credit rating.
- How the supplier hedges fixed-price commitments.
- For large or long contracts, whether collateral obligations run both ways.
3. The contract terms behind the price
Two offers at the same ¢/kWh can be very different products. Check:
| Term | What to confirm |
|---|---|
| Product | Fixed with capacity included, fixed with capacity passed through, or index |
| Capacity treatment | How the June 1 tag reset is handled each year |
| Pass-through list | Exactly which costs can be added after signing |
| Bandwidth | What happens if usage moves outside a set range |
| Material change | How a closure, new shift or on-site generation is treated |
| Early termination | Formula-based (market loss) vs flat fee |
| Renewal | No automatic roll to a high variable price; for accounts of 25 kW or less, HB 15 requires two notices (90–60 and 45–15 days before expiration) and annual notices to variable-price customers |
| Add/delete sites | Whether new locations can join and closed ones leave |
Definitions for each are in the contract terms glossary.
4. Billing method: consolidated or dual
| Utility consolidated billing | Dual billing | |
|---|---|---|
| Invoices | One bill from the utility, with the supplier's charges printed on it | Utility bills delivery; supplier sends its own generation invoice |
| Payments | One | Two |
| Detail | Supplier charges shown in summary | Can show pass-through line items, capacity charges and portfolio summaries |
| Typical fit | Single sites and simple fixed products | Multi-site portfolios, pass-through or index products |
| Watch for | Corrections to supplier charges flow through the utility's billing system, which can slow them | Two due dates and two sets of records to reconcile |
Ask each finalist which methods it offers in your utility territory and whether it can provide one summary invoice for all sites.
5. Customer service and data
- A named account contact, not only a general call center.
- A written invoice-dispute process with a response time.
- Online access to invoices, usage and interval data for every account.
- Enrollment tracking: who watches for utility rejections (wrong account number, name mismatch) and fixes them before the start date slips.
- Renewal outreach well ahead of the notices HB 15 requires.
6. Renewable options
Ohio's renewable portfolio standard requires 8.5% in 2026 and nothing after 2026, so default service won't carry a renewable requirement from 2027. If renewable content matters to you, the contract has to deliver it:
- What kind of RECs — certified (for example, Green-e), Ohio-sited or national, and which technology.
- How much — a percentage of your usage, stated in the contract.
- Proof — retirement documentation each year, in your company's name.
- Price — the renewable adder shown separately so you can compare it.
As a reference point for small accounts, some community aggregation programs offer 100% renewable supply — for example Clean Energy Columbus at 10.01¢ fixed for June 2026–May 2027.
Red flags
- A price far below every other bid — often a missing component such as capacity.
- A low introductory rate that becomes variable after a few months.
- Promises that aren't in the written contract.
- A salesperson claiming to represent your utility or PUCO.
- Offers of utility efficiency rebates — AEP Ohio, Duke, AES Ohio and the FirstEnergy utilities don't currently offer business rebate programs.
Supplier scorecard
Score each criterion 1–5, multiply by the weight and add. Certification is pass/fail.
| Criterion | Weight | Evidence to ask for | Supplier A | Supplier B | Supplier C |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| PUCO certification | Pass/fail | Current certificate, matching entity | |||
| Net price on your usage | 35% | Normalized bid grid with fees disclosed | |||
| Contract terms | 25% | Marked-up contract with pass-throughs, bandwidth, termination | |||
| Financial strength | 15% | Parent, rating, hedging approach | |||
| Billing and data | 10% | Billing options, portal access, summary invoicing | |||
| Customer service | 10% | Named contact, dispute process, references | |||
| Renewable fit | 5% | REC type, volume, retirement proof |
Once you choose, the switch is straightforward: the supplier enrolls your accounts, the change takes effect on a meter-read date (typically one or two billing cycles), and small commercial customers have 7 days from the utility's confirmation postmark to rescind. Your power never goes out — the utility keeps delivering it.
FAQ
How do I check whether an electricity supplier is certified in Ohio?
Search PUCO's list of regulated companies for the supplier's exact legal name and confirm the certificate is current. Certificates last two years.
What happens if my electricity supplier goes out of business?
Your power stays on because the utility still delivers it. You're generally returned to the utility's default service until you choose a new supplier, and you lose your contract price.
Is utility consolidated billing or dual billing better?
Consolidated billing is simpler for single sites and fixed products; dual billing gives more detail and portfolio summaries, which suits multi-site or pass-through contracts.
Should I always choose the cheapest supplier?
Not automatically. Compare net price with fees disclosed, then weigh contract terms, financial strength and service — a slightly higher price with better terms can cost less over the term.