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Understanding Your Ohio Electric Bill: An Annotated Sample Decoder
Understanding your Ohio electric bill comes down to a few lines: your usage, the supply charge, the delivery charge, the price to compare and the supplier name. The decoder below marks each one on an invented sample bill for eight Ohio utilities and says where to look on a real bill.
Updated
How does the sample bill decoder work?
Choose your utility and the decoder opens a sample bill made up for teaching. Each numbered marker jumps to a note that says where to look on a real bill and what the line means.
Sample Grid & Power Co.
SAMPLE - not a real bill
Quick overview1
- Customer
- Pat Sample
- Service address
- 123 Sample Street, Anytown, OH
- Account number
- 99-0000-0000
- Amount due
- $68.88
- Due date
- Sample date
Bill summary2
Price to compare (below the total amount due)4
- Price to compare
- Your utility's number prints here (not shown in this sample)
Usage history5
- Usage total
- 1,000 kWh
- Compared with
- Your 12-month average, and last month
Your electric bill has two parts
Line item charges
- Generation costs
- $55.55
- Grid costs
- $13.33
- Electricity cost8
- $68.88
Meter reading9
- Reading type
- Actual or estimated
- Time-of-use plans
- Peak on and off shown
SAMPLE - not a real bill. Invented company, customer, account number and amounts. Not a utility's bill and not affiliated with any utility.
How this sample was built
Notes for the invented AEP Ohio sample
Every numbered marker on the sample links to its note here. The notes say where to look on a real bill and which source backs each one.
1Quick overview
Where to look: Step 1 of AEP Ohio's residential bill walkthrough.
AEP Ohio says this top section holds your due date, amount due and account information at a glance. Ohio's billing rule requires the bill to show your account number.
Sources: AEP Ohio: residential bill walkthrough (PDF); Ohio Administrative Code 4901:1-10-22: electric utility customer billing · Show this on the sample
2Bill summary
Where to look: Step 2 of the walkthrough.
Previous charges with any payments or credits, then current charges split into Generation Supplier and Electric Utility (Grid) amounts, then the total amount due. AEP Ohio says an unpaid balance may show as a Past Due Amount.
Sources: AEP Ohio: residential bill walkthrough (PDF) · Show this on the sample
3Generation supplier amount
Where to look: The Generation Supplier line in the bill summary. AEP Ohio's choice page says to look for a line item on your bill that shows your generation provider.
AEP Ohio's walkthrough says the electricity is produced by separate companies outside Ohio Power, and that the generation amount is sent to Ohio Power by the supplier and passed directly to you. If you buy from a supplier, check that the name matches your contract.
Sources: AEP Ohio: residential bill walkthrough (PDF); AEP Ohio: choice for residential customers · Show this on the sample
4Price to compare
Where to look: AEP Ohio's choice page says it is on your bill below the total amount due.
The utility's per-kWh price for generation, printed so you can compare offers. Ohio's billing rule requires a price-to-compare notice on residential electric bills. This sample shows no number on purpose.
Sources: AEP Ohio: choice for residential customers; Ohio Administrative Code 4901:1-10-22: electric utility customer billing; Ohio Administrative Code 4901:1-10-33: consolidated electric billing · Show this on the sample
5Usage history
Where to look: Step 3 of the walkthrough.
AEP Ohio says the usage total shows how much electricity you used this billing period and how it compares with your average over the last 12 months. The month-to-month comparison sets it against last month or the same month last year.
Sources: AEP Ohio: residential bill walkthrough (PDF) · Show this on the sample
6Electric generation
Where to look: Step 4 of the walkthrough, part 1 of the two-part bill.
AEP Ohio says this is the cost to produce the electricity you use, and that Ohio Power makes no profit on the generation portion. It says you can choose your generation supplier.
Sources: AEP Ohio: residential bill walkthrough (PDF) · Show this on the sample
7Electric grid (delivery)
Where to look: Step 5 of the walkthrough, part 2 of the two-part bill.
AEP Ohio says this is the cost of safely delivering electricity across poles and wires and maintaining the equipment that keeps the grid running. AEP Ohio's choice page says you keep receiving AEP Ohio charges for certain transmission costs and distribution if you switch.
Sources: AEP Ohio: residential bill walkthrough (PDF); AEP Ohio: choice for residential customers · Show this on the sample
8Electricity cost
Where to look: Step 6 of the walkthrough, Line Item Charges.
AEP Ohio says your total electricity cost is the generation cost plus the grid cost, and that each line shows what it means, how much it costs and how it is calculated.
Sources: AEP Ohio: residential bill walkthrough (PDF) · Show this on the sample
9Meter reading
Where to look: Step 7 of the walkthrough.
Your usage is the meter reading at the end of the billing cycle compared with the start. AEP Ohio says an estimated reading is used when a meter reading is unavailable, and that time-of-use plans also show Peak On and Off.
Sources: AEP Ohio: residential bill walkthrough (PDF) · Show this on the sample
The sample is invented. The company, customer, account number and every amount are made up, and no logo or real bill appears. It shows no rate either: where your bill prints a price to compare, the sample says your utility's number prints there.
Each note names its sources and credits a utility's own wording to that utility. Every note is also listed under the sample, so it works with JavaScript off.
How do you start understanding an Ohio electric bill?
Start with five lines: usage, supply charge, delivery charge, price to compare and supplier name. PUCO's glossary defines the supply charge, also called the generation charge, as the charges for producing electricity.
- Usage is the kilowatt-hours (kWh) you used in the billing period.
- Supply charge is the electricity itself. A supplier's offer prices this part.
- Delivery charge pays for the local poles and wires. Your utility keeps billing it whichever supplier you use.
- Price to compare is the utility's default supply price per kWh, printed so you can set an offer beside it.
- Supplier name tells you who sells you the electricity when it is not your utility.
Ohio's billing rules require the price to compare on residential electric bills: OAC 4901:1-10-22 for utility-only bills and OAC 4901:1-10-33 when the bill carries a supplier's charges.
What does an Ohio Edison sample bill show?
FirstEnergy's Ohio Edison sample-bill page labels fifteen sections, A to O. Section D, Messages, is where FirstEnergy says you will find your price to compare, and section I lists charges from an alternate supplier. Its Toledo Edison and Illuminating Company pages list the same sections.
That page shows a last-modified date of April 14, 2020, so your bill may differ. The utilities also describe the price to compare differently.
| Utility | Where its own page puts it | What its own page says about the number |
|---|---|---|
| FirstEnergy | In the Messages section (section D) | The price per kWh for bypassable generation and transmission, worked out for the month |
| AEP Ohio | On the bill, below the total amount due | AEP Ohio's price per kWh for the same usage that appears on your bill |
| AES Ohio | In the price-to-compare message | Shown for one month; AES Ohio says to weigh 12 months of usage and charges |
| Duke Energy Ohio | The pages we read do not say | Based on your own annual usage, so it may be higher or lower than Duke's published averages |
PUCO's glossary defines the price to compare as the utility's price per kWh for generation service, and FirstEnergy's wording adds transmission. Use the figure on your own bill, and match it to the dates on the Apples to Apples chart.
What do the gas samples show that the electric ones do not?
Gas bills add a unit and a tax line. Columbia Gas of Ohio bills in Ccf, which is 100 cubic feet. Enbridge Gas Ohio shows use in Mcf, which is 1,000 cubic feet.
Both utilities name a supplier on a default bill. Their pages say customers on the Standard Choice Offer (SCO), the default gas rate, see a supplier's name without choosing one.
Ohio's gas billing rule, OAC 4901:1-13-11, requires a price-to-compare statement on residential bills from a gas company with a choice program. It points to the SCO, or to the gas cost recovery rate where that applies. PUCO's gas glossary adds that county sales tax is not in a supplier's total rate.
Where does a supplier's name show on each sample bill?
If you choose a supplier, your utility still delivers your power or gas and bills for delivery. Where the supplier's name shows depends on the utility.
- FirstEnergy: section I, charges from an alternate supplier.
- AEP Ohio: a line item showing your new generation provider.
- AES Ohio: the service message center, which offers supplier information.
- Duke Energy Ohio: the pages we read do not say. If a supplier bills separately, Ohio's rule requires its name on the Duke bill.
- Columbia Gas of Ohio: the supplier portion, where Columbia lists the supplier's gas charges.
- Enbridge Gas Ohio: the Current Charges section, with the rate plan below the name.
Check that the name matches the company you signed with. An offer is worth taking only after you add any monthly fee and read what happens when the term ends. Staying on the default is fair when no offer beats it after fees.
The price to compare lookup shows the current default rate for a ZIP code, and the electric bill calculator turns kilowatt-hours into a supply cost. Our Ohio energy choice guide explains the program.
When can your real bill differ from the sample?
Your real bill can differ in layout, line names and order, and some pages we read carry old dates. Each note links to its sources.
If your bill has a line the sample does not show, check your utility's own bill guide in the sources, or call the number on your bill. Utilities file new bill formats with PUCO for approval.
Frequently asked questions
Is the sample bill a copy of a real customer's bill?
No. Every sample is invented: the company, customer, account number and amounts are made up, and each one carries a sample label. We show no logos and no images of real bills. The notes draw on public pages from PUCO, the Ohio Administrative Code and each utility.
Why does the sample leave out the price to compare number?
A made-up number could be mistaken for a real rate. So the sample says your utility's figure prints there. Read the real one on your own bill, then check the dates on PUCO's Apples to Apples chart. The notes say where each utility's own page puts it.
Why do the six sample bills look different from each other?
Each utility designs its own bill. Ohio's billing rules set what a bill must show, such as usage, the due date and the price-to-compare notice, and utilities file new bill formats with PUCO for approval. Where a utility's page described its bill, the sample follows its sections. Where it did not, the note says so.
What if my bill has a line the sample does not show?
Open your utility's own bill guide, linked in the sources, or call the number on your bill. Ohio's billing rule says bills tell you to call or write the utility first with a question or complaint, then give PUCO's contact details if the problem stays unresolved. Ask what the line means before you pay or switch.
Does the decoder remember which utility I pick?
Our site uses your pick only to show the sample and does not save it to a database or an account. The choice sits in the page address, so your browser history keeps it. The decoder has no sign-in and never asks for a bill, an account number or an address.
Can I decode a Duke Energy Ohio or CenterPoint gas bill here?
No. The decoder has no sample for those two gas bills. Ohio's gas billing rule covers every gas company with a choice program, so those bills also carry a price-to-compare statement. Use the Columbia Gas and Enbridge Gas Ohio samples as a guide, and read your utility's own bill page.
Sources
- PUCO: Understanding your electric bill (definitions), read
- PUCO: Understanding your natural gas bill (definitions), read
- Ohio Administrative Code 4901:1-10-22: electric utility customer billing, read
- Ohio Administrative Code 4901:1-10-33: consolidated electric billing, read
- Ohio Administrative Code 4901:1-13-11: gas company customer billing, read
- FirstEnergy: Ohio Edison bill (sample-bill sections), read
- FirstEnergy: Toledo Edison bill (sample-bill sections), read
- FirstEnergy: Illuminating Company bill (sample-bill sections), read
- FirstEnergy: Ohio bill terms and definitions, read
- FirstEnergy: Ohio electric choice (price to compare), read
- AEP Ohio: residential bill walkthrough (PDF), read
- AEP Ohio: choice for residential customers, read
- AES Ohio: your residential bill, read
- Energy Choice Ohio: AES Ohio electric chart, read
- Duke Energy Ohio: price to compare (archived copy, July 29, 2026), read
- Duke Energy Ohio: electric choice FAQ (archived copy, September 9, 2025), read
- Columbia Gas of Ohio: understanding your bill, read
- Columbia Gas of Ohio: Standard Choice Offer, read
- Enbridge Gas Ohio: understand my bill, read
- Enbridge Gas Ohio: energy choice, read
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