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PUCO and Your Rights as an Ohio Business Customer

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The short answer

The Public Utilities Commission of Ohio (PUCO) regulates the investor-owned utilities that deliver your power (AEP Ohio, Duke Energy Ohio, AES Ohio, Ohio Edison, The Illuminating Company and Toledo Edison) and certifies and polices the competitive suppliers, brokers and aggregators that sell it. Business customers have real protections: suppliers and brokers must be certified, you must consent to any switch, small commercial customers can rescind a switch within 7 days, suppliers must warn you before a fixed contract rolls to a variable rate, and you can't be penalized if you're returned to default service because a supplier fails. If a dispute can't be settled with the company, you can file an informal complaint through the PUCO call center at (800) 686-7826 or a formal complaint with the commission.

For vetting a broker before you sign, see how to choose an Ohio energy broker. For contract clauses to watch, see energy contract pitfalls. For spotting and disputing billing errors, see decoding your commercial electricity bill.

What PUCO regulates — and what it doesn't

Area PUCO's role
Delivery rates and service quality at the six investor-owned utilities Approves tariffs, riders and rate cases; sets reliability and service rules
Default service (the standard service offer) Oversees how default generation is procured and priced
Competitive suppliers, brokers, aggregators and governmental aggregations Certifies them and hears complaints against them
Municipal electric systems and electric cooperatives Not regulated by PUCO as public utilities; they answer to their city or members
Your contract price with a supplier Not set by PUCO — it's a private contract, but marketing, disclosure and enrollment rules apply

If your business is served by a municipal system or a cooperative, most of this page doesn't apply, and those customers generally can't choose a supplier. See municipal and cooperative areas in Ohio.

Small commercial vs mercantile: which rules apply to you

Ohio law divides business customers by size:

  • Mercantile customer: a commercial or industrial customer that uses more than 700,000 kWh a year for non-residential purposes, or is part of a national account with facilities in one or more states.
  • Small commercial customer: any commercial customer that isn't mercantile.

The distinction matters. Several consumer-style protections, including the 7-day rescission period, apply to residential and small commercial customers. Mercantile customers can join a governmental aggregation only by opting in, while smaller accounts not under a supplier contract can be enrolled automatically unless they opt out.

Your protections when you buy electricity

  • Certified sellers only. Suppliers, brokers and aggregators must hold a PUCO certificate, which lasts two years. Check any company on PUCO's regulated-company list before you sign.
  • Consent to switch. A supplier can't enroll you without your authorization. Switching without consent ("slamming") is prohibited.
  • Confirmation and rescission. After you switch, your utility sends a confirmation notice. Residential and small commercial customers have 7 days from the postmark to rescind.
  • Renewal notices (HB 15). For small commercial accounts (demand of 25 kW or less in the past 12 months), before a fixed-price contract rolls to a variable rate the supplier must send notices 90–60 days and 45–15 days before expiration. Those customers also get an annual notice once on a variable rate. Larger accounts aren't covered.
  • No penalty for being returned to default service. If your supplier defaults, abandons customers, loses its certificate or slams you, or your contract term ends, you go back to the utility's standard offer without owing costs or penalties for that return.
  • Aggregation opt-out. Governmental aggregations must give at least 21 days to opt out and allow a free opt-out at least every three years.

Your data and account information

  • Account numbers. Your utility can't disclose your account number without your consent, except for narrow purposes such as collections and governmental aggregation.
  • Usage history. Your utility must provide 24 months of usage history and detailed consumption data, where available, on request at no charge.
  • Supplier access. Suppliers and brokers need your authorization, usually a signed letter of authorization, to pull your detailed usage history from the utility.
  • Eligible-customer lists. Utilities share a list of shopping-eligible customers with certified suppliers. They must tell customers at least four times a year how to object to being included.

Your protections with the utility

  • Approved rates only. The utility can charge only what's in its PUCO-approved tariff. Rate cases are public, and customers can comment. Under HB 15, utilities must file rate cases by the end of 2029 and every three years after that.
  • Reliability standards. Each utility reports its outage frequency (SAIFI) and restoration time (CAIDI) to PUCO annually and must file an action plan if it misses a standard.
  • Same delivery service regardless of supplier. The utility delivers your power whichever supplier you choose.

How to file a complaint

  1. Contact the company first. Call the utility or supplier, explain the problem, and keep notes of dates, names and reference numbers.
  2. Informal complaint. If that fails, contact the PUCO call center at (800) 686-7826 or use the online complaint form on puco.ohio.gov. Call center staff work with the company to resolve the issue.
  3. Formal complaint. If the informal process doesn't resolve it, you can file a written formal complaint with PUCO's docketing division naming the company, the facts and the relief you want. The company must answer within 20 days of the complaint being mailed, and PUCO may schedule a settlement conference before a hearing. A formal complaint works like a court case, so businesses often use counsel for larger disputes.

What PUCO can order against a supplier: under Ohio law, PUCO can rescind a contract, order restitution to customers, and impose forfeitures or other penalties on certified suppliers that break the rules.

FAQ

Does PUCO regulate business electricity rates?

PUCO sets delivery rates and oversees default service at Ohio's investor-owned utilities. It doesn't set the price in your contract with a competitive supplier, but it enforces the rules suppliers must follow.

Can an Ohio business cancel an electricity switch?

Residential and small commercial customers — businesses using 700,000 kWh a year or less that aren't part of a national account — can rescind within 7 days of the postmark on the utility's confirmation notice.

How do I check whether an energy broker is certified in Ohio?

Search PUCO's list of regulated companies for the broker's name and certificate. Certificates must be renewed every two years.

How do I file a complaint against an electricity supplier in Ohio?

Contact the supplier first, then call the PUCO call center at (800) 686-7826 or use PUCO's online complaint form. If that doesn't resolve it, you can file a formal complaint.

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