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Independent. Not a utility. Not the State of Ohio.

Ohio Energy Savings

Ohio Energy Savings, LLC is certified by the Public Utilities Commission of Ohio as a Power Broker (Certificate No. 26-155492E) and a Retail Natural Gas Broker (Certificate No. 26-155491G). We work only with suppliers certified by PUCO. We are not a utility and not a supplier. Your local utility still delivers your power and handles outages.

Offer Checker: How to Compare Energy Offers in Ohio

Here is how to compare energy offers in Ohio: turn each offer's costs into one number, the rate plus any monthly fee spread over the kilowatt-hours (kWh) you use. This checker does that for the figures you type, then lists the contract terms to question. It reads your numbers only, not your contract.

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How do you use this checker to compare energy offers in Ohio?

Type the numbers from an electric offer into the form. You get the combined rate in cents per kWh and a checklist of cost flags. Pick your utility to set the offer beside its price to compare, the per-kWh figure for default supply printed on your bill, when a published one covers today.

Move the decimal two places if the offer shows dollars: 0.095 is 9.5.

How long the contract runs.

Enter 0 if the offer has none.

Enter 0 if the offer has none.

From your bill. Leave it blank to see example usages.

Only the rate is required. With usage blank, the checker shows what the monthly fee adds at three example usages and assumes nothing about yours.

What is break-even usage when an offer has a monthly fee?

Break-even usage is the monthly kWh at which an offer's rate plus its fee, spread over those kWh, equals the utility's price to compare. Divide 100 times the monthly fee by the gap between the two rates, in cents.

Below that usage the combined rate is higher than the price to compare, and above it, lower. The number exists only when the offer's rate alone is below the price to compare. Our Apples to Apples Ohio guide shows how a fee weighs at different usages.

Take a made-up offer at 9.5¢ per kWh with a $4.95 monthly fee. Against AEP Ohio's price to compare of 10.19¢ per kWh, it breaks even at about 718 kWh a month. AEP Ohio's price to compare comes from the Public Utilities Commission of Ohio (PUCO) chart and covers October 1 – December 31, 2026, so the next period starts January 1, 2027. Run the check again then.

What does the checklist flag, and which rules back it?

  • Monthly fee. A contract must itemize all prices and fees, under OAC 4901:1-21-12.
  • Early termination fee (ETF). PUCO's FAQ says a supplier may charge one if you end a contract early. The contract must state it.
  • Variable rate. PUCO's glossary says a variable price "can change, by the hour, day, month, etc., according to the terms and conditions in the supplier's disclosure statement."
  • Rate after the term. For a fixed rate that turns variable, the supplier sends two notices before the fixed rate ends, and the second names the first variable rate, under OAC 4901:1-21-20.
  • End of term. The supplier must write 45 to 90 days before expiry, under OAC 4901:1-21-11. Without an automatic renewal clause, the notice says you return to the utility's standard offer unless you re-enroll or choose another supplier.
  • Delivery. Your utility bills delivery on top of supply whichever supplier you use, and a contract must say so, under OAC 4901:1-21-12(B)(8).

What can the offer checker not tell you?

If you are on the Percentage of Income Payment Plan (PIPP), PUCO's FAQ says you are not eligible for the choice program, so no supplier offer applies.

If your city, township or county buys power as a group, called governmental aggregation, your supply rate may come from that program. PUCO says to find out the penalties for leaving a supplier contract before you join one.

Staying on the utility's default may be the right choice when every fixed offer sits above the price to compare, when a monthly fee or an ETF erases a narrow gap, or when you may move before the term ends.

Standard Service Offer (SSO). The default electric supply service your utility provides if you do not choose a supplier, and the service the price to compare measures.

What do you do after you run the checker?

  1. Ask the supplier the question under each flag, and keep the answers in writing.
  2. Look at the same columns for other offers on PUCO's Apples to Apples chart; our Apples to Apples guide explains them.
  3. If you enroll, you have seven days from the postmark on your utility's confirmation notice to cancel, under OAC 4901:1-10-29.

To turn a rate into a monthly supply cost, use the Ohio electric bill calculator. To find your utility's price to compare, use the price to compare lookup. Our electric choice Ohio guide explains switching.

Frequently asked questions

Does the offer checker save what I enter?

Our site uses the numbers you type only to work out the checklist on this page, and does not save them to a database or an account. The form is a plain web request, so the values appear in the page address and stay in your browser history. Clear them there if you share a device.

Why does the checker ask for my monthly kWh?

A monthly fee is a flat dollar amount, so its cost per kWh depends on how much you use. The same fee adds more cents per kWh in a small home than in a large one. Your usage is on your bill. Without it, the checker shows example usages and never guesses yours.

What if my offer lists its rate in dollars per kWh?

Move the decimal point two places to get cents. An offer showing 0.095 dollars per kWh is 9.5¢ per kWh. The checker rejects numbers between zero and one and asks you to convert, because a figure that small is usually a dollar amount. Enter zero only for a flat-price offer.

Why does the checker show no price to compare for my utility?

It shows none when you skip the utility, or when no published price to compare covers today's date. When a rate has lapsed, the checker says so, shows no comparison and points you to PUCO's chart. It never fills the gap with an old figure presented as current.

Can the offer checker tell me whether to sign an offer?

No. It does arithmetic on the numbers you type and lists questions to ask. It cannot read your contract, your bill or your supplier's terms. Only the contract settles every fee and date, so read it and keep the supplier's written answers before you enroll.

Does an offer's break-even usage stay the same all year?

No. It moves whenever the price to compare changes, because the gap between the two rates changes. Your usage also moves with the seasons, so a mild month can fall below the break-even while a hot or cold month sits above it. Run the check again with each new price to compare.

Sources

Ohio Energy Savings compares plans. Suppliers pay us a commission when a household enrolls, and we also charge a service fee; you see the fee terms in your offer. See how we get paid.