Price to Compare Lookup for Ohio Electric Customers

How does this lookup find your price to compare?

You enter a five-digit Ohio ZIP code, and we match it to an electric utility from our ZIP list. Then we show that utility's current default rate.

A result shows up to four parts.

• The rate, in cents per kilowatt-hour (kWh), the unit your meter counts.
• The period, which is the span of dates the rate covers.
• The next change, which is the date a new rate is scheduled to begin.
• The source note, which says where we read the figure and on what day.

For example, a ZIP code in AEP Ohio territory returns 10.19¢ per kWh as the rate and October 1 – December 31, 2026 as the period. The next scheduled change reads January 1, 2027.

If no published rate covers today, the lookup says so and links to PUCO's chart instead of guessing. PUCO is the Public Utilities Commission of Ohio, the state regulator that runs the chart.

What does price to compare mean on your bill?

The price to compare is the default supply rate your electric utility charges customers who have not chosen a supplier. PUCO's glossary says a residential customer's utility bill shows it, so you can set a supplier's offer beside it.

Standard Service Offer (SSO). The default electric supply service a utility provides, and the source of the price to compare.

CRES provider. A Competitive Retail Electric Service provider, which is a supplier that sells electricity in competition with your utility's default.

The number covers supply only. Delivery, meaning the poles, wires and meter, is a separate charge that your utility keeps billing whichever supplier you use. So the price to compare is not your all-in cost per kWh.

Why are Ohio electric rates by ZIP code really rates by utility?

A utility sets one default rate for its territory, not one per ZIP code. Two ZIP codes in the same territory show the same number.

We use your ZIP only to look up which utility serves it, and our site does not save it to a database or an account. The lookup is a plain web form, so the ZIP shows in the page address and stays in your browser history.

For the detail behind each utility's number, including how often it resets, see our price to compare guide.

When can the price to compare lookup be wrong for you?

It can be wrong when your ZIP code does not match your real service territory. Always check the utility name on your bill against the name the lookup shows.

• A ZIP code can cross territory lines. If your bill names a different utility, use PUCO's chart for that utility.
• Municipal and cooperative electric systems are not on PUCO's chart. The lookup tells you so when your ZIP is listed that way. PUCO says it has no jurisdiction over them, and Energy Choice Ohio says their customers are not eligible for the choice program.
• If your city, village or county runs an electric aggregation program, your supply may come from that program. These governmental aggregation programs can enroll residents automatically unless they opt out. Your bill shows who supplies you, so check it first.
• If you are on the Percentage of Income Payment Plan (PIPP), Energy Choice Ohio says you are not eligible for the choice program, so the price to compare is for reference only.
• Natural gas has its own default rate and its own chart. This lookup is for electricity only, so check your gas bill or PUCO's gas chart for gas.

How do you use the price to compare once you have it?

Hold a supplier's rate up against it, using the same usage on both sides. A fixed offer priced below it may cost less for the supply part of your bill.

Fees and terms can change that. Look at any monthly fee, the term length, the early termination fee (ETF) for leaving early, and what the rate turns into when the term ends. Some offers become variable rates.

Staying on the default can be a reasonable choice, since Energy Choice Ohio says choice is an opportunity, not a mandate. Try the electric bill calculator to turn a rate into a monthly supply cost. The Apples to Apples chart lists offers side by side, and our energy choice in Ohio guide explains the program. To test an offer, add its monthly fee to its supply cost and compare the totals over the full term.