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Judy Saves

Ohio · Electric

AEP Energy vs AEP Ohio: what's the difference?

By Dr. Matthew Crowley

· 6 min read

Checked against: Apples to Apples (energychoice.ohio.gov). How we get our prices

This guide is about Ohio. Judy checks bills in 18 states. Find your state's rules

You open your electric bill and see "AEP Energy." But your power company is AEP Ohio. Are they the same company? Did someone switch you?

They are not the same, even though the names look alike. One is your utility. The other is a supplier that sells electricity at its own price. Here is how to tell them apart, and what to do if AEP Energy is on your bill.

If AEP Energy is on your bill, compare its price with AEP Ohio's Price to Compare. If it came through your town, find your town's deal on our AEP Energy town programs page.

The short answer

  • AEP Ohio is your utility. It owns the poles and wires in its part of Ohio. It delivers your power, reads your meter, fixes outages and sends your bill. Since October 2026, the state's price list calls it Ohio Power Company (formerly AEP Ohio), and its website uses the name Ohio Power. Its phone number didn't change: 1-800-672-2231.
  • AEP Energy is a supplier. It sells the electricity itself (and natural gas), at its own prices, to homes that sign up with it. In Ohio it is one of many suppliers listed on the state's comparison chart.

Both are owned by the same parent company, American Electric Power. But AEP Energy says in its own fine print that it "is not soliciting on behalf of, endorsed by, acting on behalf of, and is not an agent of AEP Ohio." It also says: "Customers do not need to purchase electric generation supply from AEP Energy in order to continue to receive regulated service from their utility."

Side by side

| | AEP Ohio (Ohio Power Company) | AEP Energy | | --- | --- | --- | | What it is | Your utility | A supplier | | What it does | Delivers power, reads the meter, fixes outages, sends the bill | Sells the electricity (supply) at its own price | | Its price | The Price to Compare, the standard price you pay if you never pick a supplier | The price in your contract with AEP Energy | | Do you need it? | Yes, if you live in its area | No. It's your choice | | Phone | 1-800-672-2231 | 866-258-3782 |

AEP Ohio buys the power for its standard price through auctions. The Public Utilities Commission of Ohio (PUCO) has said that AEP Ohio "must pass along these costs and earns no profit on these charges." You can see today's Price to Compare, and when it changes next, on our AEP Ohio page.

Why AEP Energy might be on your bill

There are three common reasons:

  1. You, or someone in your home, signed up. Maybe by phone, online or with a seller at the door.
  2. Your town signed everyone up. Some Ohio communities buy power for everyone at once, called aggregation. In southeast Ohio, the SOPEC program uses AEP Energy as its supplier in AEP Ohio's area. Towns in it include Athens County, Logan, Gallipolis and Belpre. Each town page shows the program's price, how long it lasts and how to leave. The full list is on our Ohio towns page.
  3. You were switched without saying yes. That's called slamming, and it isn't allowed. See Switched electric supplier without permission?

How to tell on your bill

Look at the supply part of your AEP Ohio bill. If a supplier sells you the power, its name shows there, with its price per kilowatt-hour (kWh). If you only see AEP Ohio (or Ohio Power), you are on the standard price. My guide How to read your AEP Ohio bill, line by line shows where to look.

Is AEP Energy a good deal?

It depends on the plan, the same as with any supplier. Compare its price per kWh with AEP Ohio's Price to Compare. If the supplier's price is higher, you are paying more than you need to for that part of the bill. If it's lower, check how long the price lasts, whether it can change, and whether there is a fee to leave.

The PUCO lists every supplier's offers for AEP Ohio customers on its Apples to Apples chart (opens a new tab), with the Price to Compare at the top. My guide to using Apples to Apples walks through it.

How to leave AEP Energy

AEP Ohio says you can go back to its standard price "at any time by either canceling your contract with your current supplier or by contacting AEP and requesting the Standard Service Offer service."

A few things to know first:

  • Check for a fee to leave early. Look at your AEP Energy contract, or call AEP Energy and ask. If you're in a town program, the town's letter says whether there is a fee. Our town pages say what the program told us.
  • It takes until your next meter reading. AEP Ohio says switching "only occurs on the meter read date," and it mails a letter confirming the date.
  • AEP Ohio's own fee. AEP Ohio says first switches are free, and it may charge a fee for later switches.
  • Your lights stay on the whole time. Only the price for the supply part changes.

Judy Saves is independent. I don't sell electricity, and no supplier pays me. I'll never call you or knock on your door.

Who to call

  • AEP Ohio (Ohio Power Company): 1-800-672-2231
  • AEP Energy: 866-258-3782
  • Public Utilities Commission of Ohio (PUCO): 1-800-686-7826
  • Ohio Consumers' Counsel: 1-877-742-5622

Your rights when you switch, cancel or get slammed are on the Ohio help page.

What to do next

  • Let me check it for you. Send a photo of your AEP Ohio bill to the free bill check. I'll find who sells you power, compare the price with the Price to Compare and the offers the state lists, and tell you what I'd do.
  • See today's Price to Compare on the AEP Ohio page.
  • Got a letter about a town program? See Ohio energy aggregation: how to opt out.

Sources

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