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Judy Saves

Ohio · Electric

How to cancel an electric supplier and go back in Ohio

By Dr. Matthew Crowley

· 7 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

Signed up with an electric supplier and want out? Or a supplier's price crept up, and you'd rather go back to your utility's standard price? In Ohio you can. Your lights stay on the whole time, and only the price for the supply part of your bill changes.

Here is how to do it with each of Ohio's six electric utilities, what it can cost, and how long it takes.

To see the price you'd go back to, check AEP Ohio's Price to Compare, Ohio Edison's Price to Compare or any utility on the Ohio Price to Compare page.

Before you call: three quick checks

  1. Find the supplier's name and your contract. The supplier's name is in the supply part of your bill. Your contract, or the supplier's welcome letter, says when the contract ends and whether there is a fee to leave early.
  2. Check the standard price. Your utility's standard price is called the Price to Compare. It's on your bill, and on our page for each utility (see the table below). If your supplier's price is lower and the contract ends soon, it may be worth waiting.
  3. Did you sign up in the last week? Then you may be able to cancel for free. See the next section.

Signed up in the last 7 days? Cancel for free

After you sign up with a supplier, your utility mails you a letter to confirm the switch. The Public Utilities Commission of Ohio (PUCO) says: "You have seven days from the postmark date of this notice to cancel the contract if you change your mind."

  • Call your utility, not the supplier. Use the number in the table below or on the letter. Ohio's rule says the utility must take these calls 24 hours a day.
  • Ask for a cancellation number and write it down.
  • You can also cancel in writing to the utility. The rule says a letter counts from the date of its postmark.

If you never signed up at all, that's slamming. See Switched electric supplier without permission?

Going back to your utility, step by step

After the 7 days, you can still leave. The Ohio Consumers' Counsel (OCC) says people "have the option to stay with or return to the utility for their energy supply."

  1. Call your utility. Say: "I'd like to go back to your standard price, the Standard Service Offer. Please end my supplier." Some utilities also let you start by canceling with the supplier.
  2. Ask when it takes effect. Switches happen on a meter reading date, so it may take until your next bill, or the one after, to show.
  3. Ask the supplier about a fee to leave early. The OCC says to "always check" your contract for a termination fee before you switch.
  4. Watch for a letter. Your utility mails one to confirm the date you go back. Duke Energy Ohio says you then have seven days from its notice to cancel the change, if you change your mind.
  5. Check your next bills. The supplier's name should drop off the supply part.

The six Ohio electric utilities

| Utility | Phone (from the utility's own website) | Price to Compare and next change | | --- | --- | --- | | AEP Ohio (now Ohio Power Company) | 1-800-672-2231 | AEP Ohio page | | Ohio Edison | 1-800-633-4766 | Ohio Edison page | | The Illuminating Company (CEI) | 1-800-589-3101 | Illuminating Company page | | Toledo Edison | 1-800-447-3333 | Toledo Edison page | | Duke Energy Ohio | 1-800-544-6900 | Duke Energy Ohio page | | AES Ohio | 1-800-433-8500 | AES Ohio page |

What each one says about going back:

  • AEP Ohio (Ohio Power): "You can return to the Standard Service Offer at any time by either canceling your contract with your current supplier or by contacting AEP and requesting the Standard Service Offer service." Switching "only occurs on the meter read date."
  • Duke Energy Ohio: "You may contact your supplier or Duke Energy Ohio at 800.544.6900 to return to Duke Energy Ohio's Standard Service Offer." Duke then sends a notice with your return date.
  • AES Ohio: its switching rules say a customer "may at any time return" to its standard price, effective at the next scheduled meter reading.
  • Ohio Edison, The Illuminating Company and Toledo Edison (all part of FirstEnergy): call the number for your utility above. Their customer rights booklet explains the 7-day window on the confirmation letter.

What it can cost

  • The supplier's early termination fee. If you leave in the middle of a contract, the supplier may charge one. Your contract says how much.
  • A utility switching fee. AEP Ohio says first switches are free and it may charge a fee for later ones. Ask your utility when you call.
  • No cost in some cases. Ohio's rule says a customer who goes back to the standard price because a supplier defaulted or quit, because of slamming, or because the contract ended "will not be liable for any costs or penalties" for going back.

My guide to early termination fees helps you decide if paying a fee to leave is worth it.

In a town program instead?

If your supplier came through your city, village or county (called aggregation), the steps are a little different. Ohio law gives you a free chance to leave at least every three years. Leaving at other times can carry a fee only if the program's letter said so. See Ohio energy aggregation: how to opt out, and check your town on the Ohio towns page.

What about gas?

Gas works much the same way. With Columbia Gas of Ohio, Enbridge Gas Ohio, CenterPoint Energy Ohio or Duke Energy Ohio gas, call the gas company and ask to go back to its standard price. The free cancel window for a new gas plan is 7 business days after the postmark on the gas company's letter. See Ohio gas choice: Columbia CHOICE and Enbridge Energy Choice.

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 with questions

  • Your utility: the table above, or the number on your bill
  • Public Utilities Commission of Ohio (PUCO): 1-800-686-7826
  • Ohio Consumers' Counsel: 1-877-742-5622

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

What to do next

Sources

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