Duke Energy Ohio Business Electricity Rates & Choice
Market-reference note: Numerical default-price examples below retain their cited 2026 reference period. They are historical class-level context, not a current account quote. Confirm the applicable business rate, components and effective dates on your bill before comparing an offer. How to establish your benchmark.
Duke Energy Ohio at a glance
Duke Energy Ohio delivers electricity across Greater Cincinnati and nine southwest Ohio counties, including Hamilton, Butler, Warren and Clermont. The City of Hamilton runs its own municipal electric system, so Hamilton businesses inside city limits are generally not Duke customers and cannot shop. Everywhere else in the territory, businesses can buy generation from a PUCO-certified supplier while Duke keeps delivering power.
| Legal name | Duke Energy Ohio, Inc. |
| Parent company | Duke Energy |
| Territory | Greater Cincinnati and southwest Ohio — 9 southwest Ohio counties |
| PJM capacity zone | DEOK |
| Business rate schedules | Rate DS (secondary distribution) and Rate DM (small secondary) for most businesses, with primary and transmission-voltage schedules for large users |
| Small-business default generation price | Historical class reference: 11.36¢/kWh on the DM (first 2,800 kWh) rate, effective June 1, 2026 (prior year 10.59¢) |
| Residential price to compare (reference) | 10.69¢/kWh, September 2026 |
| Can businesses choose a supplier? | Yes — generation only; Duke Energy Ohio keeps delivery |
What Duke Energy Ohio charges vs. what you can shop
Every Duke Energy 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 Duke Energy Ohio's default (Standard Service Offer) price, which PUCO calls the price to compare.
On Duke Energy Ohio bills the generation ("supply") charges and the distribution charges are listed separately; small businesses on Rate DM see a first block of usage (the first 2,800 kWh) priced differently from later blocks.
How Duke Energy Ohio's default price is set
Duke Energy 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 Ohio's HB 15 (effective August 14, 2025) repealed electric security plans, so default prices must now come from competitive bidding.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.
Duke Energy Ohio's default generation price for small businesses on the DM (first 2,800 kWh) rate is about 11.36¢/kWh (effective June 1, 2026), up from about 10.59¢ the year before.
Capacity costs in the DEOK 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.
Duke Energy Ohio rate-case and policy status
Duke Energy Ohio filed a distribution rate case in March 2026 (Case 26-0132-EL-AIR) seeking about a 3% increase for non-residential customers, which would take effect around May 2027.
- Duke Energy Ohio's Rate DM generation price for the first 2,800 kWh rose from 10.59¢ to 11.36¢ per kWh on June 1, 2026, well above the roughly 9.4¢ annual GS averages at the three FirstEnergy utilities.
- Duke filed a distribution rate case in March 2026 (Case 26-0132-EL-AIR) seeking about a 3% increase for non-residential customers, which would take effect around May 2027.
Counties Duke Energy Ohio serves
Duke Energy Ohio is the main investor-owned utility in 5 counties and serves part of 4 more:
Brown, Butler, Clermont, Clinton, Hamilton, Highland, Montgomery, Preble, Warren
* part of the county; another utility serves the larger share.
Cities on Duke Energy Ohio
Cincinnati, Fairfield, Mason, Middletown
Inside Duke Energy Ohio's region, these cities run their own municipal electric systems, so businesses there generally cannot choose a supplier: Hamilton (City of Hamilton Electric Utility). See municipal and co-op areas.
Community aggregation in Duke Energy 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.
- City of Cincinnati aggregation — Dynegy supplies a 100% green product at 10.44¢/kWh for May–November 2026 under a contract through May 2029; small commercial locations under 700,000 kWh/yr are eligible.
Switching suppliers on Duke Energy Ohio
- Confirm the account is on Duke Energy 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. Duke Energy Ohio switches you to a new supplier on a regular meter-read date after the supplier's enrollment is processed — typically within one to two billing cycles.
- Duke Energy 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 Duke Energy Ohio a supplier or a utility?
Duke Energy 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 Duke Energy Ohio's price to compare for businesses?
For the DM (first 2,800 kWh) rate it averages about 11.36¢/kWh for effective June 1, 2026. Your bill shows the figure for your own rate schedule.
Will switching suppliers change Duke Energy Ohio outage service?
No. Duke Energy Ohio still maintains the wires and restores outages; only the generation charge changes.
Why did Duke Energy 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.