Ohio Edison.

In Ohio’s deregulated energy market, there are two parties involved in your power — your utility and your supplier. Ohio Edison is a utility, making them in charge of your energy distribution, transmission and power line maintenance. You do not get to choose your utility, as it is based on your address.

Your supplier, on the other hand, is up to you. Suppliers provide the power to the utilities to distribute. Because of the deregulated market, they are able to set their rate they charge for energy. While this system promotes competition among providers, it also gives you some say in the rate you pay for your power. In other words, choosing your rate gives you the option to have a better handle on your energy costs during your term unlike the ever changing rate with the utility.

Ohio requires utilities to give you a Price to Compare (PTC) on your bill. The PTC changes throughout the year so it is best to know the average over a 12 month period when comparing. While it’s a rate you’ll pay if you don’t choose a supplier, it’s also a baseline. When you’re comparing supplier rates, you can look at your PTC to see if a supplier provides a good rate.