Introduction to Dayton Power & Light
Dayton Power & Light (DP&L) has been producing power to Dayton, OH and the Miami Valley since 1911 and they continue to lead the state in customer service and reliability.
Coverage areas
DP&L covers 24 counties throughout the Miami Valley. This covers the 520,000 customers that have signed up with the company. All of these customers are taken care of by 1,200 employees.
DP&L covers over 6,000 square miles of territory. They manage over 1,800 miles of transmission lines and 14,000 miles of distribution lines. Headquartered right in Dayton, they are hometown company offering hometown service. But that doesn’t meant they offer the cheapest electricity rates.
Plans
Plans in Ohio are available with variable and fixed rates. These rates can change based on the length of the contract and other contract contingencies. Here is a survey of the best plans and rates in the Dayton Power & Light coverage area.
Variable
Variable rates are, just that, variable. Very often these rates are introductory rates that will change after a month or three. Nordic Energy Services LLC of Oakbrook Terrace, IL, offer a rate of 3.5¢ per KWh. The plan has no cancellation fee, so you can change it anytime you want. The term is only 1 month, so the rate can be expected to rise after just the first month. In fact,
it’s important to understand that these introductory rates not only will go up, but chances are they will go up A LOT after your first month’s bill.
A few notes on variable rate plans:
Because the power company can change your rates without notice, your rates are likely to increase significantly after just one or two bills. To protect yourself from paying extremely high rates, there are a few things that you need to do:
- Check your bill every month. As soon as you see the rate change, begin looking for a new provider.
- Monitor rates from other providers periodically to see if you can save money by switching.
- If you are the type of person that is unlikely to be able to monitor you bill every month, then a variable rate is not likely for you. In short order, you will be paying far more than you need to.
6 month
6 month fixed rate plans can be a great way to save money and not have to commit to an extended contract. This can be perfect for snowbirds and renters. Many stable 6 month rates come with just a “$10 early termination fee.” This cancellation fee is $10 times the number of months remaining on the plan. This is fairly standard for Ohio electricity plans. Each plan with a “$10 early termination fee”, we are referring to this plan.
12 month
In the 12 month plan category, we like a 12 month plan offered by Direct Energy. The Direct Energy Live Brighter 12 plan offers a 6.2¢ per KWh rate with a $100 early termination fee. The reason that rates climb as the term gets longer is because the power companies need to hedge their bets in case power generation costs rise. Recently, power costs have been going down, but since there is no way for them to predict how energy costs will change, they need to charge enough to compensate. We think this is a great plan because it locks in a reasonable rate for 12 calendar months and customers don’t have to worry at all.
Choosing the best plan for your needs
There are several simple factors for you to consider when choosing an electricity plan in Dayton and the Miami Valley.
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- How long do you plan to need your electricity at your current location?
- Do you want to have to monitor your electric bill every month?
Depending on the answers, you can choose any of the above plans safely.