GAHANNA, Ohio — As electric costs change, AEP Ohio’s priority remains being transparent with our customers while keeping bills fair, predictable and easy to understand.
On March 18, the Public Utilities Commission of Ohio (PUCO) voted to approve AEP Ohio’s “basic transmission cost rider,” or BTCR. Here’s what that means for customers.
In April, an average residential AEP Ohio customer on the Standard Service Offer (SSO) rate using 1,000 kilowatt-hours (kWh) a month will see the following:
- Generation costs decreasing by about $7.16.
- Transmission costs increasing by about $7.90.
- Distribution costs decreasing by about $0.52.
The net impact is an increase of approximately $0.22 per month for the average customer on our SSO rate.
These changes are separate from AEP Ohio’s base distribution rate case under review by the PUCO. That case proposes an initial overall decrease of $1.22 to the distribution portion of AEP Ohio customers’ bills.
An electric bill is made up of three main parts: generation (the cost of producing electricity), transmission (the high-voltage lines that move power across the state and region) and distribution (the local poles and wires that deliver electricity to homes and businesses). Because each component is regulated separately in Ohio, they can and do change at different times.
Ohioans can choose their generation supplier or remain on AEP Ohio’s SSO rate. Customers can visit energychoice.ohio.gov to compare Competitive Retail Electric Service (CRES) providers and their rates.
AEP Ohio is working to make bills easier to understand. A more transparent bill format is currently pending before the PUCO and is designed to help customers better understand what they’re paying for, where the money goes and why.
AEP Ohio also is focused on long-term fairness. As energy demand evolves, including growth from large users such as data centers, AEP Ohio is working to ensure costs are allocated appropriately to protect residential and small business customers. That is why AEP Ohio filed its Data Center Tariff, the inspiration for legislation (HB 706) being proposed to protect customers across the state.
AEP Ohio has programs to help customers manage their bills. For payment assistance information, visit AEPOhio.com/Assistance.
About AEP Ohio
AEP Ohio is based in Gahanna, Ohio, and is a unit of American Electric Power. AEP Ohio provides electricity to 1.5 million customers across 61 counties. News and information about AEP Ohio can be found at AEPOhio.com.
About AEP
American Electric Power (Nasdaq: AEP) is committed to improving our customers’ lives with reliable, affordable power. We expect to invest $72 billion from 2026 through 2030 to enhance service for customers and support the growing energy needs of our communities. Our nearly 17,000 employees operate and maintain the nation’s largest electric transmission system with 40,000 line miles, along with more than 252,000 miles of distribution lines to deliver energy to 5.6 million customers in 11 states. AEP also is one of the nation’s largest electricity producers with approximately 30,000 megawatts of diverse owned and contracted generating capacity. We are focused on safety and operational excellence, creating value for our stakeholders and bringing opportunity to our service territory through economic development and community engagement. Our family of companies includes AEP Ohio, AEP Texas, Appalachian Power (in Virginia, West Virginia and Tennessee), Indiana Michigan Power, Kentucky Power, Public Service Company of Oklahoma, and Southwestern Electric Power Company (in Arkansas, Louisiana, east Texas and the Texas Panhandle). AEP also owns AEP Energy, which provides innovative competitive energy solutions nationwide. AEP is headquartered in Columbus, Ohio. For more information, visit aep.com.