Ohio Watches For FirstEnergy Rate Hike
It’s hard to deny that Ohio energy bills are climbing higher than ever before. High energy demand and rising energy costs are making it harder to keep the lights on. That’s why it’s a problem for most homes to hear that FirstEnergy electricity rates may hike up even more. But why is FirstEnergy seeking more money and is anyone against it? So why does FirstEnergy want an energy rate hike?
How Much Could OH Bills Rise?
FirstEnergy has asked PUCO to raise distribution charges on its customer bills. If approved, customers would see monthly hikes to their bills for three years beginning in 2027. This would raise Ohio Edison bills by an average of $4.26 a month and Illuminating Company bills would rise $5.15 a month. Lastly, Toledo Edison customers who use 1000 kilowatt-hours (kWh) of energy per month would pay $5.30 more each month. In other words, customers would have their average monthly bills increase between $12.78 – $15.90 by year 3!
By comparison, in 2024 Ohio homes paid an average of $135.16 per month on their energy bills. It’s also important to keep in mind that bills could hike even higher from rising costs for generation and transmission.
FirstEnergy Explains Rate Hike
The utility explains that they would spend the money to improve their grid. That also includes putting $83 million towards tree trimming each year.
As you can guess, this request has faced criticism. It comes after PUCO fined FirstEnergy $3 million for outages in Lakewood this past summer. But, under current law, Lakewood customers get none of that money. As a result, Lakewood officials filed a motion to intervene in the rate case. In addition, lawmakers are working on a bill to make utilities pay for food and medicine spoiled during outages.
Utility Apologizes For Outages
Earlier this month, FirstEnergy released a letter apologizing for the outages. The letter explains that the rate increases could improve the grid by replacing old equipment. Also, FirstEnergy President Hinton, points to storms as being a major problem. Specifically, he points out, that Ohio has seen 28 major storms this year compared to 10 storms in 2025.
Hinton added that PUCO would have an opportunity to audit their spending every year to keep them on track.
What Ohio Customer Can Do
The OCC has come out clearly against the rate hike stating that consumers deserve to know whether any rate hike is truly needs and reasonably priced. PUCO will hold a public hearing at some point in the future. In the meantime, the OCC asks that FirstEnergy customers submit comments online.
You can also shop for cheaper electricity rates right here at https://www.ohenergyratings.com. You can count on us for news and tips that could affect your bills.