AEP Ohio Commercial Electricity Rates & Supplier Choice

Updated September 27, 2026Ohio Commercial Energy editorial teamHow we review content Book a free 15-min bill review

AEP Ohio at a glance

AEP Ohio is the largest electric distribution utility in Ohio by territory. It delivers power across central Ohio (including most of Columbus and its suburbs), much of southern and eastern Ohio, Canton, Lima, Findlay, and parts of the northwest. If your bill says AEP Ohio and you are not a municipal-utility or cooperative customer, you can buy the generation portion of your electricity from any PUCO-certified supplier.

AEP Ohio begins operating under the name Ohio Power Company on October 1, 2026 (website OhioPowerCo.com). The utility says rates, service, account numbers and supplier choice don't change.


Legal name	Ohio Power Company (branded AEP Ohio until October 1, 2026)
Parent company	American Electric Power (AEP)
Territory	Central, southern and eastern Ohio, plus parts of the northwest — portions of 61 counties
PJM capacity zone	AEP
Business rate schedules	General Service schedules (GS-1 for the smallest accounts through larger GS classes for higher-demand and primary-voltage customers)
Small-business default generation price	Varies by rate schedule; shown on your bill (GS-1 / GS-2)
Residential price to compare (reference)	10.97¢/kWh, July 1 – Sept 30, 2026
Can businesses choose a supplier?	Yes — generation only; AEP Ohio keeps delivery

What AEP Ohio charges vs. what you can shop

Every AEP Ohio bill has two halves. Delivery — distribution, transmission and most riders — is set by PUCO-approved tariffs and stays the same no matter who supplies your power. Generation is the part you can buy from a PUCO-certified supplier. If you don't choose one, you pay AEP Ohio's default (Standard Service Offer) price, which PUCO calls the price to compare.

AEP Ohio (operating as Ohio Power Company from October 1, 2026) is moving to a redesigned bill that separates distribution, transmission and generation, which makes the shoppable generation line easier to find.

How AEP Ohio's default price is set

AEP Ohio doesn't generate the power in its default price; it buys it through competitive auctions and passes the result through. Ohio's HB 15 (effective August 14, 2025) repealed electric security plans, so default prices must now come from competitive bidding. The price typically resets each June 1 as new auction tranches start, which is why comparing a supplier offer to last year's bill can mislead.

AEP Ohio does not publish one small-business price to compare — it depends on your rate schedule (GS-1 / GS-2) and appears on your bill. For reference, PUCO's residential price to compare for AEP Ohio was 10.97¢/kWh for July 1 – Sept 30, 2026; business figures differ.

Capacity costs in the AEP zone

Capacity — paying generators to be available at peak — is part of every generation price in Ohio. PJM's auctions have reset it sharply:

Delivery year (June–May)	PJM capacity price	Per kW of capacity tag, per year	Note
2024/25	$28.92/MW-day	about $11	Duke's DEOK zone cleared higher at $96.24
2025/26	$269.92/MW-day	about $99
2026/27	$329.17/MW-day	about $120	cleared at the price cap
2027/28	$333.44/MW-day	about $122	cleared at the cap; 6,623 MW short of the reliability requirement
2028/29	$325.00/MW-day	about $119	cleared at the cap; 6,831 MW short of the reliability requirement

Your capacity tag is set from your load during the grid's highest summer peak hours the previous year. Cutting load during PJM peak alerts lowers next year's tag — at 2026/27 prices each kilowatt removed is worth roughly $120 a year. See capacity tags explained.

AEP Ohio rate-case and policy status

PUCO approved a settlement on April 1, 2026: base distribution revenue +$11 million (AEP asked for $97 million), offset by a roughly $105 million tax refund over 18 months, for a net annual revenue decrease of about $58.7 million. AEP Ohio is also moving to a three-part bill (distribution, transmission, generation) starting in fall 2026.

PUCO approved AEP Ohio's data-center tariff on July 9, 2025 (effective July 23, 2025): new data-center loads over 25 MW must pay for at least 85% of contracted capacity for up to 12 years. It does not apply to ordinary commercial accounts, but it shapes how new large load is added to the grid you share.
AEP Ohio's April 1, 2026 rate order produced a net annual revenue decrease of about $58.7 million after a tax-refund credit, even though base distribution rates rose about $11 million.

Counties AEP Ohio serves

AEP Ohio is the main investor-owned utility in 45 counties and serves part of 16 more:

Adams, Allen, Ashland, Athens, Auglaize, Belmont, Brown, Carroll, Columbiana, Coshocton, Crawford, Darke, Defiance, Delaware, Fairfield, Fayette, Franklin, Gallia, Guernsey, Hancock, Hardin, Harrison, Henry, Highland, Hocking, Holmes, Huron, Jackson, Jefferson, Knox, Lawrence, Licking, Logan, Madison, Marion, Meigs, Monroe, Morgan, Morrow, Muskingum, Noble, Paulding, Perry, Pickaway, Pike, Putnam, Richland, Ross, Sandusky, Scioto, Seneca, Stark, Summit, Tuscarawas, Union, Van Wert, Vinton, Washington, Wayne, Wood, Wyandot

* part of the county; another utility serves the larger share.

Cities on AEP Ohio

Bucyrus, Cambridge, Canton, Chillicothe, Circleville, Columbus, Delaware, Dublin, Findlay, Fostoria, Fremont, Gahanna, Grove City, Hilliard, Lancaster, Lima, Marion, Mount Vernon, New Philadelphia, Newark, Portsmouth, Reynoldsburg, Tiffin, Upper Arlington, Van Wert, Wooster, Zanesville

Inside AEP Ohio's region, these cities run their own municipal electric systems, so businesses there generally cannot choose a supplier: Dover (Dover Light & Power), Galion (City of Galion Electric Department), Westerville (Westerville Electric Division). See municipal and co-op areas.

Community aggregation in AEP Ohio territory

In governmental (opt-out) aggregation, a city, township or county picks a supplier for its residents and small businesses. Small commercial accounts (700,000 kWh a year or less) that haven't chosen a supplier are enrolled automatically unless they opt out; accounts already under a supplier contract are excluded, and mercantile accounts join only if they opt in. See governmental aggregation for Ohio businesses.

Clean Energy Columbus — AEP Energy supplies 100% renewable power at 10.01¢/kWh fixed for June 2026–May 2027 to eligible residents and small businesses on AEP Ohio (not Columbus Division of Power customers).
NOPEC — 240+ member communities, mostly in Northeast Ohio; NextEra Energy Services became the supplier starting with June 2026 meter reads (three-year term).
SOPEC — a council of governments in southeast and central Ohio; AEP Energy is the generation supplier.

Switching suppliers on AEP Ohio

Confirm the account is on AEP Ohio (not a municipal system or co-op) and find any current supplier contract end date.
Collect 12 months of usage (interval data for larger sites) and request prices that state capacity and broker fees separately.
Sign with the supplier; the supplier submits your enrollment. AEP Ohio requires a supplier to submit your enrollment at least 12 days before your next scheduled meter read; the switch then takes effect on that read.
AEP Ohio mails a confirmation letter. Residential and small commercial customers have 7 days from its postmark to cancel.
Check the first bill: the supplier's price should appear in the generation section and delivery charges should be unchanged.

FAQ

Is AEP Ohio a supplier or a utility?

AEP Ohio is the distribution utility. It delivers power and offers a default generation price, but businesses can buy generation from a competing supplier instead.

What is AEP Ohio's price to compare for businesses?

It depends on the rate schedule and is printed on your bill; AEP Ohio publishes business figures through a bill-specific tool. For reference, the residential price to compare was 10.97¢/kWh for July 1 – Sept 30, 2026.

Is AEP Ohio changing its name?