AES Ohio Commercial Electricity Rates & Supplier Choice
AES Ohio at a glance
AES Ohio — the former Dayton Power & Light — delivers electricity across Dayton and 24 west-central Ohio counties, including Montgomery, Greene, Miami, Darke, Shelby, Champaign and Logan. Businesses on AES Ohio can buy generation from a certified supplier; the utility keeps delivering power and restoring outages.
| Legal name | The Dayton Power and Light Company, doing business as AES Ohio |
| Parent company | The AES Corporation |
| Territory | The Miami Valley and west-central Ohio — 24 west-central Ohio counties |
| PJM capacity zone | DAY |
| Business rate schedules | Secondary, primary and transmission service classes; AES Ohio publishes business price-to-compare figures through a calculator rather than a single number |
| Small-business default generation price | Varies by rate schedule; shown on your bill (secondary service) |
| Residential price to compare (reference) | 10.86¢/kWh, June 2026 – May 2027 annual average |
| Can businesses choose a supplier? | Yes — generation only; AES Ohio keeps delivery |
What AES Ohio charges vs. what you can shop
Every AES 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 AES Ohio's default (Standard Service Offer) price, which PUCO calls the price to compare.
AES Ohio (formerly Dayton Power & Light) shows generation (standard offer) charges separately from transmission and distribution; if you have a supplier, the supplier's charges appear in their own section.
How AES Ohio's default price is set
AES 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 Ohio's HB 15 (effective August 14, 2025) repealed electric security plans, so default prices must now come from competitive bidding.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.
AES Ohio does not publish one small-business price to compare — it depends on your rate schedule (secondary service) and appears on your bill. For reference, PUCO's residential price to compare for AES Ohio was 10.86¢/kWh for June 2026 – May 2027 annual average; business figures differ.
Capacity costs in the DAY 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.
AES Ohio rate-case and policy status
PUCO accepted a settlement in November 2025 raising AES Ohio base distribution revenue by about $168 million a year; a three-year plan for 2027–2029 filed July 21, 2026 proposes roughly 1% average annual increases.
- PUCO accepted a settlement in November 2025 that raised AES Ohio base distribution revenue by about $168 million a year.
- AES Ohio filed a three-year rate plan on July 21, 2026 for 2027–2029 proposing roughly 1% average annual increases; a PUCO decision is expected by the end of 2026.
- Piqua runs its own municipal power system inside AES Ohio's region, so Piqua businesses generally cannot choose a supplier.
Counties AES Ohio serves
AES Ohio is the main investor-owned utility in 12 counties and serves part of 12 more:
Auglaize, Brown, Butler, Champaign, Clark, Clinton, Darke, Delaware, Fayette, Greene, Hardin, Highland, Logan, Madison, Mercer, Miami, Montgomery, Pickaway, Preble, Ross, Shelby, Union, Van Wert, Warren
* part of the county; another utility serves the larger share.
Cities on AES Ohio
Beavercreek, Bellefontaine, Centerville, Dayton, Fairborn, Greenville, Huber Heights, Kettering, Riverside, Sidney, Trotwood, Troy, Urbana, Washington Court House, Xenia
Inside AES Ohio's region, these cities run their own municipal electric systems, so businesses there generally cannot choose a supplier: Piqua (Piqua Power System). See municipal and co-op areas.
Switching suppliers on AES Ohio
- Confirm the account is on AES 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. AES Ohio switches your supply on a scheduled meter-read date after enrollment is processed — typically one to two billing cycles.
- AES 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 AES Ohio a supplier or a utility?
AES 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 AES Ohio's price to compare for businesses?
It depends on the rate schedule and is printed on your bill; AES Ohio publishes business figures through a bill-specific tool. For reference, the residential price to compare was 10.86¢/kWh for June 2026 – May 2027 annual average.
Will switching suppliers change AES Ohio outage service?
No. AES Ohio still maintains the wires and restores outages; only the generation charge changes.
Why did AES Ohio bills rise in 2025–2026?
Mostly because PJM capacity prices rose from $28.92/MW-day (2024/25) to $329.17 (2026/27) and flowed into generation prices; delivery-rate changes from recent rate cases were smaller.