We know that rising energy bills are a concern for many of our customers, and we’re committed to helping them manage their energy use and costs. You may have seen recent news stories about AEP’s earnings, and we have heard your questions about how those earnings affect you as an AEP Ohio customer.
You should know that the earnings reported last month reflect the overall financial performance of American Electric Power, which serves customers in 11 states, and which includes many subsidiary companies, of which AEP Ohio is one.
AEP’s strong financial performance is important. It allows AEP to reinvest in the electric system, which helps us improve reliability and deliver safe service for all our customers, including those across Ohio, by replacing old infrastructure, upgrading equipment and deploying new technologies that support a more resilient grid.
At AEP, we are looking for opportunities to make proactive grid upgrades to prevent outages before they occur. These capital-intensive investments can only happen with a strong financial foundation.
Generation Costs Explained
In Ohio, generation service is deregulated, which means customers can choose their electricity supplier. If they don’t make a choice, AEP Ohio is legally required to buy electricity for them through competitive market auctions. We pass on the auction cost of this electricity to them without adding a markup, so we don’t profit from these charges.
Recently, electricity bills have gone up mainly because the cost to buy electricity has increased due to limited supply and higher demand. Warmer weather has also led to more electricity use, adding to the higher bills.
How We Help Our Customers
We offer multiple payment assistance programs to help customers manage seasonal fluctuations in use. Customers can contact our customer service teams to learn more about these programs.
We continue to invest in tools and technologies that give customers more control over their energy consumption. We also work closely with regulators to ensure our investments align with approved plans and deliver value to the communities we serve.
We know rising costs are an issue across all household budget categories, and rising utility costs are frustrating. Please know we are working to balance those costs with the infrastructure investments that make electricity reliable and safe.
Thank you for being an AEP Ohio customer.
Bill Assistance Resources
AEP Ohio offers several programs that can help customers pay their electric bills. You can see what programs you’re eligible for by taking an easy, two-minute survey about your household at AEPOhio.com/BillHelp. Here are a few highlights:
You can also call our Customer Solutions Center at 800-672-2231 — let’s work together to find the right option for you.
Related Resources:
- AEP Ohio Proposal on Data Centers to Protect Ohio Consumers Adopted by PUCO
- Your Questions Answered: AEP Ohio’s Base Rate Case Request
Through the entire “transparent” explanation explaining how, just because mommy and daddy are exorbitantly wealthy, that doesnt mean their kids are, you never state what your profits where or how much they increased over last year. Closes you come is saying very strongly ( huh, how dumb, i thought it was a link to your profit report) that you didn’t have RECORD profits.
Gee thanks for being transparent.
Hi John. Like you, I’m just an AEP Ohio customer, and share your frustration for what feels like raising customer costs while company profits increase-even though that’s not the case. However, having worked in the utility industry in my career, my personal opinion is to look a little higher up the food chain. The utility space is extremely heavily regulated, so when I see my electric bill rise I usually call my elected officials on the state and national level. Just a thought! *I’m not an employee of, or affiliated with AEP*
Well said. This is such an insulting email to the clientele. Show us your figures then.
You got it no numbers boy they must think we’re dumb. Plus there putting in all the infrastructure for new Albany oh for the chip plant google Amazon ect. Everyone knows it takes a tremendous amount of electricity to run those AI supercomputers. So they do it by raising our bills now and then reap the benefit by higher power usage in new Albany oh. Parent company and kid what a bunch of BS I wonder how much they had to pay some idiot to come up with that. It’s laughable. All we can do for now John is keep passing it on
I was thinking the same thing.
Very good analogy about the kids not being rich because of the parents though. lol
I am an 83 yr old living by myself, in the same home for 70 years. Fell on the ice 2/1 and was away from home until the end of May. What a shocker! $200 a month is an awful price for one person in a small house. I am sure there are households that wonder which one will it be medication or groceries ??
“We made record profits, but it doesn’t count because we are only 1 piece of the company”. Huh? How about just admit that your taking it in, while continuing to bribe our politicians to let you increase your prices for even more record to come?
Thank you AEP for all you guys do for your Ohio and all your customers. People will always find something to complain about, but I am grateful for all your hard work your employees do, and all the investments you continuously make to keep the grid updated and running as efficiently and effectively as possible. Thank you!
$27 a month increase is laughable. Mine went up 2.5 times. Going from $65-75 a month to $145-160. But thanks for the insight it was most helpful as I’ll make do, Lord knows my social security is sure to keep up with the rising prices.
Hi Beth. We know higher-than-expected bills are never welcome news. The $27 is what the average residential customer would see if they use 1,000 kilowatt-hours a month. The biggest factor in electric bills is how much energy a customer uses. Even if a customer uses less than 1,000 kWh, if their usage doubles, their bill will double. Please visit AEPOhio.com/BillHelp to take a simple two-minute survey to see what financial assistance options may be right for you.
I am retired and live on my social security check. I don’t know how I can pay that much more per month.
I live alone and don’t use the water family homes do.
What are some ways these companies are working to lower the customer cost? Investments on the infrastructure are important, but why are customers carrying the cost burden and not the larger company, by reducing their “profit.” That’s a company capital investment, not a customer investment.
Good questions, Chuck. The data center tariff recently approved by the PUCO is a great example of how AEP Ohio is working to ensure that the customers who are necessitating these new investments are responsible for supporting them.
AEP’s strong financial performance is important because it allows AEP to reinvest in the electric system, which helps us improve reliability and deliver safe service by replacing old infrastructure, upgrading equipment and deploying new technologies that support a more resilient grid. AEP is constantly looking for opportunities to make proactive grid upgrades to prevent outages before they occur. These capital-intensive investments can only happen with a strong financial foundation.
The electric bills are entirely too high.
Thanks. I’d like to hear more about the generation side of the equation. Who? Profit level there? Generation cost factors? Integration of wind and solar to reduce cost? Data center impact. PUCO regulation of the generation side.
Michael, Ohio is a deregulated state, which means that AEP Ohio does not and cannot own generation. Ohio customers can compare generation providers by visiting the PUCO’s Apples to Apples site. For customers on our Standard Service Offer, we pass through the generation charges directly from the supplier, dollar for dollar, with no markup.
AEP has to preserve that 109:1 CEO pay to median employee pay ratio, or make it even more outlandish.
Thanks for typing up that BS AEP, but you are not trustworthy in the least after the HB6 scandal
AEP has no competition. PUCO has no responsibility to consumers and does not have to answer to anyone. How do PUCO members get their jobs? I’ve never seen a PUCO position on a ballot. How much are PUCO members paid? Who pays them?
Hi Pat. We’d recommend contacting the PUCO or checking out their page for answers to your questions.
AEP Ohio invested $158 million in outage prevention? How much more would it have been if they weren’t constantly blowing money on Louie the Lightning. If meet and greets and sponsoring events like Festival Latino and Wildlights? AEP Ohio’s first responsibility is its ratepayers, not extraneous PR stunts. With such high electricity costs, and so many people struggling financially, this is nothing short of malfeasance.
Your full of s*** your making the customer’s pay for the upgrades needed in new Albany oh for the chip plant Amazon Google and God knows what ever plants go in down there. Everyone knows that it takes a tremendous amount of electricity to run those super computers for AI. Your putting the infrastructure in on the backs of hard working Americans by raising our electric bills now.Then in the future Your big company AEP Parent company or not and ohio aep will reap all the money from all that knew energy being created in New Albany ohio. You ought to be ashamed of yourself. That is pure greed.
Funny we’re screwing you by raising your bill. But we’re going to help you by putting you on a payment plan so you Can get even further behind and more in debt. Boy I tell you what a bunch of good guys. With friends like That I don’t need any enemies. AEP GO POUND SAND !!!!
I have called and talk to aep customer service and ask questions about my bill and ask them why there is two charges on my bill and they said that they charge a % of what you use to push it to my house but the charger is more then i use my bill can be 300 but they charge let’s say 350 to push it to my house that not a % of my bill that’s more then my bill why is that seems like there ripping ppl off. I could be wrong but the bill says it different. A % is less than what you use not your whole bill plus a little bit more
Huh…just because demand is higher doesn’t mean you have to charge more. It just means that you can get away with charging more because someone else is competing for the same product. It’s just an excuse to charge more! Now if AEP has to pay more, then I’d understand why it would charge more to pass on the cost; however, it still comes back to AEP (the parent company) charging more and making huge profits..
Ultimately at our expense!
Helene, if you’re referring to the supply and demand of generation capacity, you’re correct. There is more demand and less supply, so it costs more. In Ohio, generation service is deregulated, which means customers can choose their electricity supplier. AEP Ohio is legally required to buy electricity for those who don’t make a choice through competitive market auctions. We pass on the auction cost of this electricity to them without adding a markup, so we don’t profit from these charges.
Appreciated the information and transparency, thanks
35%of my bill is energy cost, 53% is 2 other catorgies transport and one other. I can. change engery suppliers but it have little effect on my bill. This is due to the 53%
How wonderful it is to be charged $10 just to be a customer. I always that it was having bill was just being a customer. Now we have to pay for the “luxury” of being a customer then pay for using electricity to survive. And how thoughtful it was for them to point out it depends on how much we use that determines our bill like we aren’t aware. I for one careless about their “record profits” congratulation your business gets lobbied increases every year it and seems it’s never enough. My bill has continued to climb year after year even though “my usage” seems to not vary. We have ran our house the same way for 11 years. Oh what a wonderful time to be alive when there is extreme heat or cold we get punished with an extreme bill. For just trying to survive and be forced on a “average monthly bill system” just to try to control son of the damage. We turn the ac up in extreme heat and try to make it through the day sweating just to avoid high bills and same in the winter we go cold. Look I get that people in power position should make more for more responsibility but when they make and over abundance in bonuses that could be put back into the business instead paying a ceo millions more and jacking up the price. The problem is greed, do people really needs milllions and billions to live just 80-100 years. I couldn’t care less bout your profits what I care is just trying to survive this world with being stripped of every dime I have. Between the constant rising utility bills and medical empires bleeding me dry from month to month the common man hasn’t got a chance. Keep rising your prices inevitably there won’t be profits to be had. You businesses try to make up your loses off people who can barely keep up now. How bout looking at the top and deciding if those millionaire CEO’s really need millions in extra bonuses or can they be better spent somewhere else. Rich get richer and poor get poorer story as old as time. Maybe it’s time we change that. If had any other option I would take it. If solar wasn’t so blame expensive Id cut the AEP cord as quick as I could.
Total BS
And yet, AEP posted nearly 20% profit margins. I understand that AEP Ohio is different – but where are the 20% AEP profit margins coming from? Whose paying those? Perhaps, while you argue that generation is a pass through cost, those pass through costs have that 20% margin baked in? It is hard to swallow a subsidiary claiming “not our fault” when the parent company is passing through usery rates and margins. The PUCO relationship – while likely working on the utility side – is failling to manage the generation side. This IS your fault.
Brian, the earnings reported last month reflect the overall financial performance of American Electric Power, which serves customers in 11 states, and which includes many subsidiary companies, of which AEP Ohio is one. In Ohio, generation service is deregulated, which means customers can choose their electricity supplier. If they don’t make a choice, AEP Ohio is legally required to buy electricity for them through competitive market auctions. We pass on the auction cost of this electricity to them without adding a markup, so we don’t profit from these charges.
I came from Wv, a regulated state and stable electric bills. I hate the way Ohio is and all the confusion caused by NOT BEING REGULATED., So many suppliers are crooks and take advantage of people that are not in the know. My dad always said where there is money there are crooks ready to get their hand on it. By be deregulated and by us the public not on the computer 24 hrs. a day trying to figure who is the cheapest supplier you are part of the problem. I am voting for any politician that is for regulation of energy prices. I consider you as part of the problem!!! PROVE ME WRONG! PS YOU CAN’T!! MAGA WHERE IS MY SAVINGS TRUMP TALKS ABOUT????
I personally have nothing but good things to say about AEP Ohio. I see upgrades being done all around the Hilliard, Grandview and Upper Arlington area on a daily basis. Line clearing, new and larger poles being installed, security upgrades and expansions to existing sub-stations etc. To the people saying that they don’t see you guys and gals doing anything I say “Get off your d—n phones.” Thank you each and everyone of you !
Hi! I am inquiring about the 24 month roll off rate of past due balance and to see where we stand with it…. Thanks so .Thanks soooo much for your time??!
Hi Christy. Please reach out to our Customer Solutions Center with any questions about account balances. You can DM them on Facebook or X, or give them a call at 800-672-2231.
Completely agree with John. Real transparency would include releasing AEP Ohio’s financial statements instead of blaming the suppliers and the weather. I went back through the last year’s worth of my bills and not once did the Supplier’s charge exceed AEP Ohio’s. In fact the majority of my bills had AEP Ohio charges that were more than double the charge from my Supplier. That’s like buying an item online for $40 and being forced to pay over $80 in delivery costs. I called the PUCO about an issue with how I was being billed and their response was to call AEP which I had done repeatedly with no resolution. AEP Ohio and their cohorts are enjoying the profits from years of investment in lobbyists and influencing weak politicians. But the weather has been cooler this week so I’ll probably only have to pay $75 for them to deliver $30 worth of electricity so that’s something to look forward to.
I am feeling the pinch . Our bill in the last couple years has doubled; usage has not. I had asked several times to have our meter checked with the response being” if it isn’t a meter issue then you will be charged” knowing I can’t afford and am already struggling I had to say pass. Now we’re all getting smart meters. I have heard bills have jumped higher after these are installed,that they are harmful to the 🐝. Do we have any voice in this? We have energy efficient appliances but nothing saves money. I want DOGE to come dig into the state of Ohio. Let’s get some answers.
Hi Nellie, our Customer Solutions team would be happy to look into your bill concerns. Just give them a call at 800-672-2231 or send them a direct message on Facebook or X. Regarding smart meters, there is no credible evidence that they are harmful to bees or other pollinators. Smart meters are more accurate than the older meters, which could be a reason customers see a change in their bills.