NOPEC in Ohio: How the Aggregation Works and What to Compare

What is NOPEC?

NOPEC stands for the Northeast Ohio Public Energy Council. It describes itself as a governmental energy aggregator. It says it uses the bulk buying power of its member communities to negotiate electric and natural gas rates (its home page). It says it was founded in 2000.

A General Assembly with one representative from each community governs it and elects a board (its general FAQ). The council counts about 250 member communities in 20 counties, and the count changes (communities page).

The program is opt-out: it says eligible residents and small businesses in a member community are enrolled automatically unless they opt out. Our guide to Ohio electric aggregation explains the law behind that, and the Public Utilities Commission of Ohio (PUCO) must certify every aggregator (PUCO).

It says it is paid by fees from the suppliers it buys from, negotiated in the bid, and gets no money from consumers, taxpayers or member communities (general FAQ). Its Who is NOPEC page names NextEra Energy Services Ohio, LLC as the supplier it buys from (registry row researched September 9, 2026), and that can change.

CRES provider. A Competitive Retail Electric Service provider, the supplier a program hires to sell the electricity.

What is NOPEC on my electric bill?

NOPEC shows up as the supply charge, the part of your bill that covers the energy you used. The council says it is not an extra charge on your utility bill, and your utility bills delivery as before (enrollment page). Your bill names who supplies you, so check the supplier name before you compare anything.

Price to compare. The per-kWh benchmark for your utility's default supply rate, which Ohio calls the standard service offer (SSO).

Your local utility still delivers the power, reads your meter, sends your bill and restores service after an outage (electric FAQ). Transmission, the high-voltage grid, and distribution, your local poles and wires, are billed on top of supply whichever supplier you use. The price to compare covers supply only. Compare the program's rate with it, not with your whole bill.

Which communities and utilities does NOPEC serve?

Its electric pricing page lists prices for customers of three utilities: The Illuminating Company, Ohio Edison and American Electric Power (AEP Ohio) (pricing page). We do not list its counties or cities beyond the rows below, because the council's own community map is the only full list. Our NOPEC electric rates by ZIP code lookup checks the communities we have researched.

Our registry holds four NOPEC communities. We researched them on September 9, 2026. Treat each rate as a snapshot from that date and check the pricing page for the figure in force. The council publishes its Standard Program Price by utility, not by community, so two communities in one utility territory share one price.

How are NOPEC electric rates set?

The council says its Standard Program Price is a competitive rate that varies with wholesale prices in the market. Its pricing page calls the price variable, one that may change monthly, and shows a separate price for each utility (pricing page). All eligible accounts are enrolled in that Standard Program unless they pick another option.

It lists other options too: fixed terms of 12 and 24 months, a monthly variable rate set as a percentage below your utility's price to compare with limited enrollment, and renewable-content versions. To enroll in one, it says to call its Customer Care Center at 855-667-3201 (electric FAQ). Each option is priced separately, so the price you see depends on which one you hold.

Because the Standard Program is variable, a rate we recorded on one date may not be the rate on your next bill. That is why every row above carries its researched date.

How do NOPEC rates compare with your price to compare?

The test is the same for every program. Set NOPEC's supply rate for your utility beside that utility's price to compare, in the same unit, at your own usage. PUCO says its Apples to Apples charts on Energy Choice Ohio, its consumer site, list only certified suppliers and aggregators that are actively enrolling new customers, so NOPEC's prices may not appear there. Use NOPEC's pricing page for its prices and the top of PUCO's chart for the price to compare.

Where a row shows no current rate, that period has ended and PUCO's chart states the figure now in force. Each utility has a page with the number, its dates and its history: AEP Ohio, Ohio Edison and The Illuminating Company.

Take a household in The Illuminating Company territory that uses 900 kWh in a month. This is an example, not your usage. The current price to compare is 11.24¢ per kWh, for October 1 – December 31, 2026. At that rate, 900 kWh costs $101.16 in supply charges.

None of these program rates is real. Your letter states the real rate and whether it is fixed or variable. Add any fee the notice lists. A variable rate can change monthly, while the default changes when its period ends, so repeat the test when either moves.

NOPEC vs the Illuminating Company: which one sets your rate?

Both, for different parts of your bill. The Illuminating Company, a FirstEnergy utility, still delivers your power and bills you. NOPEC sets your supply rate while you are enrolled, and the utility's own default for supply is the price to compare. For The Illuminating Company, that is 11.24¢ per kWh, for October 1 – December 31, 2026.

So the question is not NOPEC or the utility. It is whether the program's supply rate or the utility's default costs less for your usage. Our page on Illuminating Company electric rates shows the territory, and our guide to its Apples to Apples chart shows how to read the offers.

Is NOPEC good or bad?

The answer changes with your utility, your usage and the dates, so we do not rate any program. What we can give you is the facts: who runs it, how its rate is set, how to test it, and when you can leave.

• What it is: a council of member communities that buys power from a supplier.
• How the rate is set: the Standard Program Price is variable and priced from wholesale market prices, per the council.
• How to test it: its supply rate against your utility's price to compare, same unit, same usage.
• When you can leave: at any time, per the council, with no early termination fee.

A program can sit below the default in one period and above it in another. The same is true of any variable rate. Run the arithmetic on your own bill before you decide, and run it again when the default's period ends.

How do you opt out of NOPEC?

Sign, date and return the opt-out form that came with your enrollment letter, by mail or by fax (opt-out FAQ). The council says it cannot offer online opt-out because it needs your signature. For questions, it lists a Customer Care Center at 855-667-3201, open around the clock.

You receive an enrollment letter every three years for electric accounts and every two years for gas, it says (enrollment page). Ohio's rule sets the shortest window at 21 days from the postmark on the notice (rule 4901:1-21-17). If you miss it, PUCO says you have seven days from the postmark on your utility's switch notice to call the utility (PUCO).

It says you may leave at any time without penalty, and that opting out lets you choose another supplier or return to your utility's default. To stay out of its electric opt-out mailings for good, it points to PUCO's do not aggregate list (opt-out FAQ). Our electric aggregation guide covers the list.

It says some customers may get no notice, such as those under contract with another supplier, those on PIPP or the Home Energy Assistance Program (HEAP), and those not current on their utility payments. It also runs a Do Not Knock registry in listed communities that it says keeps for-profit door-to-door sellers away.

Should you opt out of NOPEC?

Either answer can be right. Staying fits when the program's rate, fees and dates beat the default on your own arithmetic. You can also change your mind later, because the council says there is no early termination fee.

• Stay if the program's rate for your utility is below the price to compare at your usage, with no fee that cancels the gap.
• Opt out if you already have a supplier contract you want to keep. If you would rather join the program, check that contract for an early termination fee first.
• Opt out if a fixed offer on PUCO's chart beats the program after fees. If you only want a rate that does not move month to month, NOPEC says it also offers 12 and 24 month fixed options.
• Compare the default as well. If every offer sits above it, staying on your utility's default can be the better choice.

Your community's program is also one choice among several. Our Ohio energy choice guide covers who can shop, and our price to compare guide covers the benchmark.

Does NOPEC supply natural gas?

Yes. Its gas pricing page lists prices for customers of Enbridge Gas Ohio and Columbia Gas of Ohio (gas pricing page). The Standard Program Price is variable, and the council says its monthly variable option is priced a fixed amount below the utility's Standard Choice Offer (SCO), the gas default (gas FAQ). We show no gas rate here, because the registry holds none.

Ohio gives gas customers an opt-out chance every two years, not three, and PUCO's do not aggregate list does not cover gas. It says to call its Customer Care Center to leave its gas opt-out mailing list. See natural gas rates in Ohio for the gas defaults.