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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 Hearth Gas Company
SAMPLE - not a real bill
Account number and meter1
- Customer
- Pat Sample
- Service address
- 123 Sample Street, Anytown, OH
- Account number
- 99-0000-0000
- Meter location
- Printed here
- Billing cycle2
- Sample date
Gas used3
- Gas used this cycle
- 100 Ccf
Delivery (distribution) charges
Supplier portion
Standard choice offer statement9
- Statement
- Printed here (see the note)
Total amount due
- Total amount due
- $66.66
Usage history10
- Bar graph
- 13 months of usage (not drawn in this sample)
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 Columbia Gas of 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.
1Account number and meter
Where to look: Ohio's billing rule requires these items. Columbia's bill also names the meter location.
The rule requires your account number, service address and the dates of the service period. Columbia Gas of Ohio's page says one item on the bill identifies the location of the meter being read.
Sources: Ohio Administrative Code 4901:1-13-11: gas company customer billing; Columbia Gas of Ohio: understanding your bill · Show this on the sample
2Billing cycle
Where to look: Columbia Gas of Ohio's bill page marks it as its own item.
Columbia says the billing cycle is the time between meter readings, and that because the days in a cycle vary, a longer cycle may mean more gas used and a higher bill.
Sources: Columbia Gas of Ohio: understanding your bill · Show this on the sample
3Gas used, in Ccf
Where to look: Ohio's billing rule requires the consumption for the service period.
PUCO defines a Ccf as one hundred cubic feet. Columbia says it bills in Ccf and states the Standard Choice Offer price in Ccf too.
Sources: Ohio Administrative Code 4901:1-13-11: gas company customer billing; PUCO: Understanding your natural gas bill (definitions); Columbia Gas of Ohio: Standard Choice Offer · Show this on the sample
4Delivery (distribution) charges
Where to look: One of the two main parts of Columbia Gas of Ohio's bill.
Columbia says delivery covers the cost to bring gas to your home: a basic customer fee and the cost of operating and maintaining the pipelines. Its fixed monthly delivery charge covers part of the fixed costs and is the same on each bill.
Sources: Columbia Gas of Ohio: understanding your bill · Show this on the sample
5Riders and usage-based charges
Where to look: Lines under Columbia Gas of Ohio's bill details.
Columbia lists riders such as the infrastructure replacement program, capital expenditure program and infrastructure development riders, each fixed on every bill. Its usage-based charges include riders for PIPP Plus, excise tax, uncollectible expenses and CHOICE/SCO reconciliation, plus a balancing fee; Columbia's own page lists more than one version, so check your bill.
Sources: Columbia Gas of Ohio: understanding your bill · Show this on the sample
6Gas supplier name
Where to look: Columbia's bill page lists the supplier's gas charges under the supplier portion of the bill, and its Standard Choice Offer page says you will see a gas supplier's name on your bill.
Columbia says Standard Choice Offer customers see the name of a gas supplier on the bill, every SCO supplier charges the same price, and Columbia still delivers the gas and sends the monthly bill.
Sources: Columbia Gas of Ohio: Standard Choice Offer; Columbia Gas of Ohio: understanding your bill · Show this on the sample
7Gas supply cost including sales tax
Where to look: A line in the supplier portion, per Columbia Gas of Ohio's bill details.
Columbia says that for Standard Choice Offer customers it passes its gas supply costs through at no profit to Columbia. For customers who chose a supplier, it is the cost of gas as charged by that supplier.
Sources: Columbia Gas of Ohio: understanding your bill · Show this on the sample
8Sales tax
Where to look: Columbia Gas of Ohio's supply cost line says it includes sales tax.
Columbia's Standard Choice Offer page says SCO customers are charged Ohio sales tax on their gas purchases, like CHOICE customers. PUCO's glossary adds that county sales tax rates vary, so a supplier's total rate leaves county sales tax out.
Sources: Columbia Gas of Ohio: Standard Choice Offer; Columbia Gas of Ohio: understanding your bill; PUCO: Understanding your natural gas bill (definitions) · Show this on the sample
9Standard choice offer statement
Where to look: Ohio's billing rule requires it, prominently displayed, on residential bills from a gas company with a choice program.
The statement says it may be useful to compare supplier offers with the standard choice offer (SCO) rate, or the gas cost recovery rate where it applies, which varies monthly with the market price of natural gas. It points to energychoice.ohio.gov for the chart.
Sources: Ohio Administrative Code 4901:1-13-11: gas company customer billing; PUCO: Understanding your natural gas bill (definitions) · Show this on the sample
1013-month usage history
Where to look: A section of Columbia Gas of Ohio's bill.
Columbia says it shows the 13 months of usage at your service address, which changes with your habits and the weather.
Sources: Columbia Gas of Ohio: understanding your bill · 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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