Ohio electric utility
Based in Gahanna, Ohio, AEP Ohio provides power to approximately 1.5 million customers in 61 Ohio counties. Cities served by AEP Ohio include Columbus, Portsmouth, and Canton. The company is a subsidiary of AEP (American Electric Power), which serves more than 5 million customers in 11 states. Founded in 1906, AEP is one of the biggest utility companies in the United States.
Ohio deregulated its energy market in 2001, allowing private retail suppliers to sell power. Although it took a few years for deregulation to get established, by 2014 more than half of Ohio customers had switched to a retail supplier. Although the term may be confusing, “deregulation” simply means that you have the power to choose from a variety of suppliers rather than being required to buy your electricity from your local utility company.
Since there are numerous options for suppliers and rate plans, it’s important to compare AEP energy rates to those offered by other companies to determine what’s best for your home. Please note that deregulation does not mean that there are no regulations. The Public Utilities Commission of Ohio is responsible for oversight. You can contact the Commission with any issues that you are unable to resolve with your supplier.
At Choose Energy, we’re committed to offering all the resources you need to understand deregulation and to helping you choose the rate plan and retail supplier that make the most sense for you. We’ll teach you:
If you live in AEP Ohio’s service area and don’t select a retail power supplier, you will receive your electricity supply from AEP electric. Ohio, like all states with deregulation, makes it easy to compare rates by requiring utility companies to list their basic generation rates as a “price to compare.” Basic AEP current rates for summer 2020 are 4.64 cents per kilowatt hour (kWh).
Can you beat AEP electric rates in Ohio by switching to a local supplier? Enter your ZIP code above to find out.
If you’re newly learning about deregulation, you may be surprised to learn the difference between a utility and a supplier. Though you buy your power through your supplier, the utility company physically delivers it to you. It also maintains the infrastructure and power lines, so that’s who you will call in case of an outage. AEP Ohio is a utility company that is also a supplier for those who don’t select a retail supplier.
For those in AEP Ohio’s service area, common suppliers include Direct Energy, Public Power, and Frontier Utilities. Based on exactly where you live, you may have additional options. For a list of retail suppliers in your neighborhood, enter your ZIP code above.