Ohio gas choice: Columbia CHOICE and Enbridge Energy Choice

If you heat your home with gas in Ohio, you have probably had a letter, a call or a knock on the door about "gas choice." Here is what it means, in plain words, for customers of Columbia Gas of Ohio and Enbridge Gas Ohio.

What is gas choice in Ohio?

Gas choice lets you buy the gas itself from a different company, called a supplier (some papers call it a marketer). Your gas company still brings that gas to your home.

Each gas company has its own name for this:

• Columbia Gas of Ohio calls it CHOICE®. Columbia says the program is voluntary. That means you never have to join.
• Enbridge Gas Ohio calls it Energy Choice. Enbridge Gas Ohio used to be Dominion Energy Ohio, so you may still see the old name on some papers.

CenterPoint Energy Ohio and Duke Energy Ohio customers can shop for gas too. The rules below are Ohio's rules, so most of them apply to you as well.

What stays with my gas company?

A lot. Switching only changes who sets the price for the gas you use.

Columbia says that even if you switch, "we will continue to deliver the same reliable service to your home or business, read your meter, perform safety checks and respond to emergencies."

Enbridge says it "will continue to deliver your natural gas; respond to service and emergency needs; read your meter and provide customer service and billing."

So if you smell gas, you still call your gas company, just like before. In most cases you still get one bill from them, with the supplier's charges on it.

What price do I pay if I never switched?

If you never picked a supplier, you pay your gas company's standard price. For Columbia, Enbridge and CenterPoint this is called the Standard Choice Offer, or SCO. Duke Energy Ohio calls its version the Standard Service Offer.

The SCO is the market price of gas plus a set add-on. For Columbia, Enbridge and CenterPoint, that add-on comes from an auction the state oversees. Duke's price is also the market price plus a set add-on. Either way, it changes every month. I explain how in Why your Ohio gas price changes every month.

Two things are good to know about the SCO:

• Your gas company doesn't make money on the gas itself. The OCC says "Ohio's gas utilities cannot profit from reselling natural gas." (OCC: Natural Gas Bill Made Easy (opens a new tab))
• On a Columbia bill, you will see a supplier's name even on the standard price. Columbia says: "You'll see the name of a gas supplier on your bill." That name does not mean you signed up with anyone.

Is a supplier cheaper than the standard price?

Sometimes, but not always. Columbia says plainly that "there is no guarantee that you'll save money."

The Ohio Consumers' Counsel (OCC) is the state's office for home utility customers. It goes further. It says the standard price "is frequently the most cost-effective choice to make in the long-run." To save money, it says, a supplier "would have to offer a rate that is consistently lower than the Standard Choice Offer."

That is why I compare every offer to your standard price before I say anything.

How do I compare offers?

The State of Ohio lists every gas offer on its "Apples to Apples" site, energychoice.ohio.gov (opens a new tab). Columbia and Enbridge both point customers there.

When you look at an offer, check:

• Fixed or variable? A fixed price stays the same for the contract. A variable price can change every month. See Fixed vs variable electric rates. The same ideas apply to gas.
• The unit. Enbridge prices gas per Mcf. Columbia, CenterPoint and Duke price it per Ccf. 1 Mcf is 10 Ccf. Make sure both prices use the same unit.
• A teaser price. A low first-month price can jump after that.
• A fee to leave early, and a monthly fee.
• Contract length. What happens when it ends?

For a step-by-step guide to the state's site, see How to use Apples to Apples in Ohio.

Can I change my mind after I sign up?

Yes. After you sign up, your gas company mails you a letter to confirm the switch.

Ohio's rule (Ohio Adm. Code 4901:1-29-10 (opens a new tab)) gives you seven business days after the postmark on that letter to cancel. Business days don't count weekends or holidays. To cancel, call your gas company (not the supplier), or write to them.

This is a little different from electric. For electric, the window is 7 calendar days.

It can take a while before the new supplier shows up on your bill. The OCC says it can take "up to two to three billing cycles."

How do I go back to the standard price?

You can go back. The OCC says you "can contact their utility to switch from a marketer to the Standard Choice Offer."

Before you do, check your contract for a fee to leave early. The OCC suggests you "contact their marketer to ask about any early termination fees." There is no such fee when you go back at the end of a contract.

When you go back, you may pay a short-term price first. Enbridge says that when a supplier contract ends without a renewal, homes go back to its standard rate "for up to two billing periods" before they are moved to the SCO.

Can I join if I'm on PIPP Plus?

No. PIPP Plus is Ohio's plan that bases your gas payment on your income. Enbridge says "PIPP Plus and Graduate PIPP Plus customers are ineligible to participate" in Energy Choice. You pay the gas company's price instead. You also can't join a city program.

Who else can't pick a supplier?

Enbridge says that to join Energy Choice, you must "have no past-due balances outside of a payment plan." A past-due balance is money you owe from earlier bills.

If you are behind, call your gas company and ask about a payment plan first.

What about city gas programs?

Some Ohio cities and towns buy gas for everyone in town. This is called a city program (the state calls it aggregation). Most are "opt-out" programs: you are put in automatically unless you say no. For how to say no, see Ohio energy aggregation: how to opt out.

What to do next

• Get a free check. Send me your gas bill at the free check. I'll compare your price with the standard price and every offer the state lists.
• See your gas company's page: Columbia Gas of Ohio, Enbridge Gas Ohio, CenterPoint Energy Ohio or Duke Energy Ohio.
• All of Ohio: see the Ohio page.

Who to call with questions

• Your gas company: the phone number is on your bill.
• The Public Utilities Commission of Ohio (PUCO): 1-800-686-7826.
• The Ohio Consumers' Counsel: 1-877-742-5622.

Judy Saves will never call you or knock on your door. If someone at your door asks for your gas bill or account number, you can say no and close the door.