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How to Read a Commercial Electric Bill in Ohio

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The short answer

Every Ohio business electric bill from an investor-owned utility has two halves. Delivery (distribution, transmission and most riders) comes from your local utility and doesn't change no matter who supplies your power. Generation is the electricity itself — you either pay the utility's default price (the price to compare) or a certified supplier's contract price. Find those two halves first; everything else on the bill is detail.

This page is the beginner's map. For utility-specific layouts see how AEP Ohio, Duke, AES Ohio and FirstEnergy bills differ; for the cost stack behind each line see what makes up your all-in rate; and for spotting mistakes see how to dispute billing errors.

The seven things to find on page one

What to find Why it matters Where it usually is
Account number Suppliers need it exactly as printed to enroll you Top of page one
Service address and meter number Confirms which building the bill covers Account summary
Rate schedule (tariff) Sets your delivery and default generation prices (e.g., GS, DM, GS-2) Usage detail
Billing days and read type Actual vs estimated reads explain odd months Usage detail
kWh used Energy volume for the month Usage detail
Peak kW (demand) Drives demand charges on most business schedules Usage detail
Generation supplier or "Price to Compare" Tells you whether you're on default service or a contract Generation section

If the utility name at the top is a city or a cooperative rather than AEP Ohio, Duke Energy Ohio, AES Ohio, Ohio Edison, The Illuminating Company or Toledo Edison, supplier choice generally doesn't apply — see municipal and co-op areas.

Generation: the part you can shop

The generation section shows either:

  • The utility's default (Standard Service Offer) price, labeled "Price to Compare" on FirstEnergy bills. For small businesses on the GS rate, the FirstEnergy utilities' defaults average about 9.38¢ (Ohio Edison), 9.45¢ (Illuminating Company) and 9.43¢ (Toledo Edison) per kWh for June 2026–May 2027. Duke's Rate DM first block is about 11.36¢ from June 1, 2026. AEP Ohio and AES Ohio show your business figure on the bill.
  • A supplier's name and price, if you've signed a contract or were enrolled through community aggregation. The price shown is what you agreed to — check it against the contract every few months.

Generation prices in 2026 include a large capacity component: PJM's capacity price rose from $28.92/MW-day in 2024/25 to $329.17 for June 2026–May 2027, which is the main reason Ohio business bills rose over the last two years.

Delivery: the part you can't shop (but can manage)

Delivery charges pay for the poles, wires, substations and transmission network. They include a customer charge, distribution energy or demand charges, transmission charges, and a series of riders that recover specific costs approved by the Public Utilities Commission of Ohio (PUCO). Recent rate cases changed these charges modestly: AEP Ohio's April 2026 order produced a net revenue decrease, and the FirstEnergy utilities' March 2026 rates reflected a net decrease overall (CEI rose, Ohio Edison and Toledo Edison fell).

You can't buy delivery from anyone else, but you can influence it: many delivery charges are billed per kW of demand, so peak management lowers them. AEP Ohio is also moving to a three-part bill (distribution, transmission, generation) in fall 2026, which makes this split easier to read.

Demand (kW) and why a small spike costs so much

Most business rate schedules above the smallest class bill demand — the highest 15- or 30-minute average kW during the month. One afternoon when every rooftop unit, oven and compressor starts together can set the charge for the whole month, and some schedules carry a ratchet that keeps a share of a high peak on future bills. See demand charges explained.

Taxes and small print

  • Ohio kWh excise tax — charged per kWh in monthly tiers (first 2,000 kWh at $0.00465, the next 13,000 at $0.00419, above 15,000 at $0.00363). There is no Ohio sales tax on electricity.
  • Minimum or customer charges — fixed monthly amounts regardless of usage.
  • Messages — utilities print tariff changes, supplier notices and rescission windows here. Under HB 15 (2025), suppliers must also send small commercial accounts (demand of 25 kW or less) two notices before a fixed contract rolls to a variable price.

What to send when you want prices

Twelve months of full PDF bills (not a screenshot of the total), a list of every account and meter, the legal name on each account, and any current supplier contract. Larger sites should add interval data. That's enough for a supplier or broker to price your real usage — see the commercial RFP process.

FAQ

Where is the price to compare on my Ohio business bill?

In the generation section. FirstEnergy bills label it "Price to Compare"; AEP Ohio, Duke and AES Ohio show the default generation charge and rate. If a supplier's name appears there instead, you're on a contract or an aggregation program.

Why did my bill go up if my supplier rate is fixed?

Delivery riders, demand, taxes and usage can all move while your generation price stays fixed. Compare the generation line month to month — if it's steady, the change came from delivery or usage.

What's the difference between kWh and kW on my bill?

kWh is how much energy you used over the month; kW is how fast you used it at the peak moment. Energy charges follow kWh; demand charges follow kW.

Can I see my usage in more detail than the monthly bill?

Yes. Ohio's utilities offer interval (15-minute or hourly) usage data through their online business portals for smart-metered accounts; download it before asking suppliers for prices.

Sources

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