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How to Get Your Electricity Data From Ohio Utilities

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The short answer

Ohio businesses can get their electricity data three ways: download it from the utility's online account (smart-meter accounts often show 15-minute intervals), ask the utility for it, since Ohio rules require 24 months of usage history and detailed consumption data, where available, at no charge, or authorize a certified supplier or broker to pull it with a signed letter of authorization. Collect 12–24 months of interval data plus your capacity and transmission tags for every account, then check five things: overnight baseload, peak timing, load factor, summer peak-hour load and weather sensitivity.

This page covers getting single-site data and the first analyses to run. For metrics across many sites, see energy analytics for multi-site portfolios. For turning interval data into a profile suppliers can price, see load profiling for commercial buildings. For errors that make monitoring data unreliable, see energy monitoring mistakes.

What data exists for your account

Data What it tells you Where it lives
Monthly billing history kWh, billed demand (kW), charges by line Bills; utility online account
Interval data (15-minute or hourly) When you use power, overnight load, start-up spikes Smart meter or interval (IDR) meter, through the utility
Capacity tag (PLC) Your share of PJM's summer peak; sets capacity cost from June 1 Bill, supplier invoice, or the utility
Transmission tag (NSPL) Your share of the zone's transmission peak Supplier invoice or the utility
Rate schedule and tariff How demand, energy and riders are calculated Bill (schedule code) and the utility's tariff
Supplier invoices and contract Supply price, pass-throughs, expiration date Your supplier

Where to get it

1. Your utility's online account

Most smart-meter accounts can view and download usage online:

  • AEP Ohio: the Energy Dashboard shows smart-meter customers their usage down to 15-minute intervals. AEP announced in 2012 that it would offer Green Button downloads across its service territory, including AEP Ohio.
  • Duke Energy Ohio: a U.S. Department of Energy case study of Duke's smart-grid deployment reports that its customer web portal provides hourly usage data; business accounts use Duke's business portal.
  • FirstEnergy (Ohio Edison, CEI, Toledo Edison) and AES Ohio: smart-meter rollouts have expanded interval data availability. FirstEnergy's Grid Mod II installs run from April 2025 through 2027. Check your online account for a usage or download option.

Look for a "Green Button" or "download my data" option; it produces a standard file that most analysis tools can import. If your meter is older, you may only see monthly data online.

2. A request to the utility

Under Ohio Adm. Code 4901:1-10-24, your utility must provide, on request and at no charge, 24 months of your usage history, payment history, detailed consumption data if available, and time-differentiated price data if applicable. Put the request in writing, list every account and meter number, and ask for interval data in a spreadsheet (CSV) format.

3. A supplier or broker with a letter of authorization

Certified suppliers and brokers can pull your history directly from the utility once you sign a letter of authorization (LOA). AEP Ohio, for example, publishes separate LOA templates for interval and non-interval data and gives registered suppliers up to 12 billing months of history through electronic requests or its business partner portal. Before you sign:

  • Confirm the company is on PUCO's list of certified suppliers and brokers.
  • Limit the LOA to the accounts and purpose you intend.
  • Ask for a copy of whatever data they pull. It's your data, and it's useful for the next RFP.

4. The eligible-customer list (what suppliers already see)

Ohio utilities share a list of customers eligible to shop with certified suppliers, updated quarterly. Utilities must notify customers at least four times a year how to object to being included. If you're getting unsolicited supplier calls, that list is usually why.

Cleaning the data before you analyze it

  • Match meters to accounts and addresses, especially at multi-meter sites.
  • Check the units. Interval files may show kWh per interval or average kW. A 15-minute kWh value × 4 = average kW for that interval.
  • Watch time stamps. Confirm the time zone and how daylight saving time is handled. The fall-back day has an extra hour, and the spring-forward day is missing one.
  • Flag gaps and estimates. Missing intervals or estimated reads can distort peaks.
  • Line up billing periods with calendar months if you're comparing to production, occupancy or weather.

Five analyses to run first

  1. Overnight and weekend baseload. Compare the lowest night or weekend load with your weekday peak. A closed office or store drawing a large share of its daytime peak overnight usually has schedules, controls or equipment left running.
  2. Peak timing. Find the interval that set each month's billed demand. Start-up spikes — several rooftop units, compressors or chargers starting at once — are the most common cause and are often fixable with staggered starts. See demand charges explained.
  3. Load factor. Average kW ÷ peak kW for the month. A low load factor means you pay for capacity you rarely use, and suppliers price peaky loads higher.
  4. Summer peak-hour load. Pull your load on hot weekday afternoons from June through September. That load sets your capacity tag, worth about $120 per kW a year at 2026/27 PJM prices. See capacity tags explained.
  5. Weather sensitivity. Regress monthly or daily kWh against degree days to separate weather from operational change. See how weather drives Ohio business electricity use.

For benchmarking a building against similar ones, ENERGY STAR Portfolio Manager is free; see benchmarking best practices.

Using the data when you buy power

A clean data set shortens supplier pricing and makes quotes comparable. Bundle 12–24 months of interval data, your capacity and transmission tags, your rate schedules and your current contract terms for each account. See building an energy data room for an RFP.

FAQ

How do I get interval data from my Ohio utility?

Download it from your online account if you have a smart meter, request it in writing from the utility, or authorize a certified supplier or broker to pull it with a letter of authorization.

Is there a charge for my usage history?

No. Ohio rules require utilities to provide 24 months of usage history and detailed consumption data, where available, at no charge on request.

What is a letter of authorization?

It's your signed permission for a supplier or broker to obtain your account and usage data from the utility. Limit it to the accounts and purpose you intend.

Where do I find my capacity tag?

It often appears on your bill or supplier invoice. If not, ask your utility or supplier for the capacity tag (PLC) in effect from June 1.

Sources

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