Church Electricity Costs in Ohio: 2026 Buying Guide

Updated October 15, 2026Ohio Commercial Energy editorial teamHow we review content Book a free 15-min bill review

How much electricity do churches and houses of worship use?

CBECS 2018 puts religious-worship buildings at about 4.9 kWh per square foot per year — the lowest of any occupied building type — and about 61,000 kWh a year on average.

Illustrative site	Annual use	Est. peak demand	Est. capacity tag	Capacity cost at 2026/27 price	Value of 0.5¢/kWh
8,000 ft²	39,200 kWh	25 kW	7 kW	$896/yr (≈2.3¢/kWh)	$196/yr
20,000 ft²	98,000 kWh	62 kW	19 kW	$2,240/yr (≈2.3¢/kWh)	$490/yr
45,000 ft²	221,000 kWh	140 kW	42 kW	$5,040/yr (≈2.3¢/kWh)	$1,103/yr

How these numbers are built: annual use = 4.9 kWh/ft² (EIA CBECS 2018 Table C14, religious worship (mean; median 4.2)). Peak demand assumes a 18% load factor; the capacity tag assumes 30% of that peak falls in the grid's summer peak hours. Capacity cost uses PJM's 2026/27 clearing price of $329.17/MW-day (about $120 per kW-year) before utility scaling factors. These are illustrations for sizing a decision — your own bills and interval data are what suppliers price.

Where the electricity goes

Cooling (about 22%), ventilation (19%) and lighting (19%) lead religious-worship electricity in CBECS.

When the load peaks — and why that matters for price

Median operating hours are only 15 a week. Use is concentrated in services and events, so the building can hit a sharp peak on a hot Sunday while averaging very little — a low load factor that makes demand and capacity charges a bigger share of the bill.

In Ohio's PJM market, the capacity part of your generation cost is set by how much you use during the grid's few highest summer peak hours. With a 18% load factor and about 30% of the site peak landing in those hours, capacity alone works out to roughly 2.3¢ per kWh at the 2026/27 price of $329.17/MW-day — compared with about 0.2¢ at the 2024/25 price of $28.92. That jump, not the energy price, explains most of the 2025–2026 increase in Ohio business electricity bills.

How churches and houses of worship in Ohio buy electricity

Congregations are small-commercial accounts; many are automatically enrolled in community aggregation. A simple fixed contract that the board can approve once is usually the right tool.

If you…	Usually consider
need a fixed monthly budget	a 12–36 month fixed price with capacity included (fixed vs variable)
can move load away from summer peak hours	a product that passes capacity through at cost, so reducing your capacity tag lowers your bill
use more than 700,000 kWh a year at a site	an interval-data RFP, block-and-index structures, and HB 15's behind-the-meter options
are 700,000 kWh a year or less and never chose a supplier	first check whether you're already in a community aggregation program

Ohio rules that affect this industry

Churches with schools, gyms or daycare on campus often have several meters; list them all before asking for prices.
Supplier choice applies to customers of AEP Ohio, Duke Energy Ohio, AES Ohio, Ohio Edison, The Illuminating Company and Toledo Edison. Municipal-utility and electric-cooperative customers generally can't choose a supplier.
Ohio does not charge sales tax on electricity; the per-kWh excise tax does appear on bills.
As of 2026, Ohio's utilities do not offer general business efficiency rebates, so upgrades must pay back on bill savings (plus any federal tax treatment).
Under HB 15 (effective August 14, 2025), suppliers must send two notices before a fixed-rate contract rolls to a variable rate — but only to accounts with demand of 25 kW or less. Larger sites should track their own expiration dates.

Ways churches and houses of worship cut electricity costs

Pre-cool sanctuaries early and let temperatures drift during services instead of starting all units at once.
Program thermostats for the actual weekly schedule and lock them.
Upgrade sanctuary and parking lighting to LED.
Review the rate schedule: very low load factors sometimes fit a different utility tariff.

Churches & places of worship by Ohio metro

Single-site cost models by city and multi-site buying guides by county:

FAQ

How much electricity does a church use?

CBECS 2018 reports about 61,000 kWh a year for the average worship building (4.9 kWh per square foot).

Why is a church’s demand charge so high relative to usage?

Short, intense use (services) creates a peak while average use stays low, so demand charges are a large share of the bill.

Is a church automatically in a city aggregation program?

If it uses 700,000 kWh a year or less, never chose a supplier, and the community has opt-out aggregation, likely yes.

Sources

Operating evidence for the next contract

For churches & places of worship, an electricity quote should reflect the actual operation rather than a generic business category. Give the reviewer the opening schedule, continuously required systems, planned equipment changes and the responsible legal customer. A national building benchmark can frame a question, but cannot prove the usage or saving at your facility.

Evidence to review	Decision it supports
Current operating schedule and required service levels	Identify whether the quoted load shape represents the next term, rather than last year’s business
Equipment and controls associated with church operations	Separate a procurement question from an engineering or maintenance question
A committed expansion, closure or tenant/ownership change	Review usage tolerance, assignment and site add/delete rights before signing
Written supply inclusions and exclusions	Distinguish an energy-only offer from a product that includes capacity or other components

Separate safe operating changes from price decisions

Use an appropriate facility specialist to validate technical changes. Review the rate schedule: very low load factors sometimes fit a different utility tariff. Treat that as a potential review item, not a guaranteed saving or permission to alter safety-critical settings. Medical, food, process and temperature requirements take precedence over an energy target.

Retain a base case without assumed rebates or unapproved tax benefits. If a project materially changes electricity use, ask the supplier how it affects the contract rather than silently carrying the old consumption profile forward. A lower supply price and reduced consumption are separate effects and should not be counted twice.

Keep the bid review practical

Compare at least the proposed start date, included components, monthly fees, renewal clause, exit rules and the treatment of expected load changes. Ask who is responsible for enrollment and what happens if a meter cannot switch on the expected date. An adviser should be able to explain why staying on the current arrangement may be appropriate.

The browser-only comparison tools keep inputs private. Start an Ohio electricity inquiry with the utility and question, without bills or account identifiers. For the common vocabulary behind the comparison, consult PUCO’s bill definitions.