Start Ohio Electric Supplier Service: Authorization and Timeline

If you live or run a small business in Ohio, "starting electric supplier service" usually means one thing: choosing who sells you the power on top of the utility account that already delivers it. Ohio is a competitive retail electricity state, so most customers can pick a competitive retail electric service (CRES) supplier—or stay on the utility's standard service offer (SSO), the default generation price. The wires, meters, and outage response stay with your electric distribution utility (EDU); the supplier change is mostly about generation charges and contract terms.

This guide walks through what you are authorizing when you enroll, how long the switch takes, fees that may apply, and special timelines that matter after supplier defaults or for business accounts.

What you are actually starting

Ohio restructured its electricity industry to allow competition among generators and suppliers, similar to how long-distance phone service opened up in other states. In competitive states, you can often choose who generates your electricity, not only how it is generated (¹). Nationwide, at least half of customers have some option to purchase competitive or renewable supply products through their supplier or certificates (¹).

Practically, "starting supplier service" breaks into two layers:

1. Utility delivery account — Your EDU (for example AEP Ohio, FirstEnergy Ohio utilities, Duke Energy Ohio, or AES Ohio depending on address) maintains the physical connection, distribution service, and the account that ties a meter to an address.
2. Generation/supplier relationship — You either remain on SSO or enroll with a licensed CRES provider whose rate and contract terms replace SSO generation charges on your bill.

Comparison sites and brokers such as ² operate in Ohio's deregulated market alongside direct supplier websites; ³ notes Ohio's deregulated structure, lists AEP Ohio as the Columbus-area delivery utility, and references PUCO broker licensing. ⁴ lists FirstEnergy as the local delivery utility in that territory.

If you are moving into a home with no active electric account, you still need the EDU to establish delivery service before a supplier switch can post. Supplier enrollment assumes a valid utility account at the service address. Starting supplier service is not a substitute for calling the utility to set up a new meter account when the premise has been vacant or never energized.

SSO vs CRES in one sentence each

• SSO (standard service offer) — Default generation supply procured for you by the utility under PUCO oversight; you do not sign a separate supplier contract.
• CRES supplier — A competitive retail electric supplier you select; you sign their contract and authorize the utility to bill their generation charges on the consolidated bill (in most cases).

You can switch between SSO and CRES (or between CRES providers) while keeping the same EDU. ² emphasizes that physical delivery never changes during a switch—only who bills you for the energy commodity.

Authorization: what Ohio now requires at enrollment

Enrollment is a regulated sales process, not a casual click-through. Recent Ohio law and PUCO rules focus on identity verification, proof of consent, and—in some cases—how you prove you are the account holder.

Three ways to verify identity

Adopted PUCO rules require CRES providers to verify the customer's identity at enrollment. Acceptable verification includes (⁵):

• Customer account information — the utility's unique customer or account identifier defined in Ohio Revised Code 4928.103;
• Government-issued ID issued to the customer; or
• Another sufficient ID that lets the provider establish identity accurately.

Providers must obtain the customer's signature acknowledging that verification occurred and must document which verification method was used. The adopted rule text applies to enrollments broadly—not only door-to-door solicitations—even though PUCO's narrative order discussed direct solicitation (⁵).

"Enroll by wallet" (you may not need your account number in hand)

House Bill 15 (signed in 2025) allows customers who consent to a supplier change not to hand their account number to the supplier if they provide valid government ID (or another approved ID) (⁶). PUCO's implementing rules still require the supplier to supply the utility with customer account information to complete enrollment—often by pulling the account number from the utility's eligible customer list after ID verification (⁷; ⁵).

Eligible-customer lists must be updated quarterly and, at minimum, include customer name, account information, rate schedule, and historical consumption for recent months—information suppliers use to price and submit enrollments (⁷).

For phone enrollments, if identity is established with government ID, the customer may not need to recite account information on the third-party verification call; if identity is established with account information, the customer must verbally provide it (⁵).

What you are authorizing in plain terms

When you complete enrollment, you typically authorize:

• The CRES provider to become your generation supplier for that utility account;
• The EDU to process a switch transaction on its billing platform;
• Contract terms (rate type, term length, renewable content, early termination fees if any).

² states enrollment can take about two minutes online with a ZIP code and basic account details, with no physical paperwork, and that switching is choosing who bills you for energy while the utility continues delivery—without interrupting power during the switch.

If you are already in a fixed contract with another supplier, you may owe an early termination fee if you leave before the term ends; ² notes that many customers weigh savings against that exit cost during comparison shopping.

Always read the contract summary and disclosure documents before you sign; fixed-rate plans that later convert to variable rates trigger additional notice obligations under Ohio law (see below).

Why authorization rules tightened

HB 15 also expanded consumer protections for small commercial customers (generally nonresidential accounts under 25 kW demand, with exclusions for multi-meter commercial accounts) by applying competitive-service marketing rules that previously focused on residential customers (⁶). PUCO has been implementing financial-assurance rules so each EDU can set reasonable security requirements for CRES providers to protect customers and utilities from supplier default (⁷)—relevant background when you authorize a new supplier, because defaults can snap you back to SSO on short notice.

Timeline: from signup to supplier on your bill

Standard residential and small commercial switches

For most voluntary switches, the practical timeline has two phases:

² notes the switch "typically takes effect at the start of your next billing cycle," and that your current provider or utility handles the transition automatically. Exact calendar dates depend on your EDU's billing schedule and when the switch file clears—so plan on about one billing period, not necessarily the same day you click enroll.

Ohio law does not set one statewide switch interval for every voluntary residential move to a CRES provider in the sources reviewed here; timing is driven by utility billing systems and supplier coordination tariffs. If you are trying to capture a promotional rate before a deadline, enroll well before your meter read date.

Switching fees (vary by utility)

Ohio EDUs may charge retail suppliers a switching fee when a customer moves from SSO to a CRES provider (or between suppliers, depending on tariff). Whether you see that fee depends on utility policy and whether it is passed through:

• AEP Ohio — A $5 switching fee applied to switches to a retail supplier after an initial switch (not to switches to default service). PUCO approved elimination of that fee under a rate-case settlement effective April 1, 2026 (⁸; ⁹).
• FirstEnergy Ohio utilities — PUCO kept the $5 switching fee in a distribution rate case because the utilities did not propose changing it; suppliers collected about $2 million annually in switching fees at those utilities according to supplier arguments reported in the case (¹⁰). PUCO suggested suppliers might raise the issue in future market-rate-offer applications, supplier-coordination tariff amendments, rule reviews, or complaints (¹¹).

Ask your chosen supplier whether any switching charge appears on your bill; fee policy is utility-specific and still evolving at non-AEP utilities.

After a supplier default: faster choices, fee waivers

When a CRES provider defaults and customers are returned to SSO, Ohio regulators sometimes open a limited window to switch again without the usual switching fee:

• After the Current supplier default, an administrative law judge directed AEP Ohio and Duke Energy Ohio not to apply switching fees for 60 days when affected customers chose a new alternative supplier, allowing switches "at any time within that 60-day period without restriction or additional fees" (¹²).
• After ResCom Energy defaulted in 2026, PUCO directed that switching fees be waived for 60 days for former ResCom customers who moved to another retail supplier while utilities returned customers to SSO unless they picked a new supplier in the interim (¹³).

In those situations, authorization is still required for the new supplier, but the economic barrier of the switching fee may be temporarily removed.

Mercantile (business) accounts: expedited return to default

Ohio law (HB 15) requires utilities to complete an expedited return of a mercantile customer to SSO within three business days when requested, regardless of billing cycle (¹⁴). PUCO added a seven-calendar-day notice requirement to the customer and utility before a supplier submits an expedited drop—unless a shorter period is in the supply contract. Utilities must process a complete certified request without judging contract disputes; they verify the form and mercantile status only (¹⁴).

That 3-day clock applies to drops to SSO, not to every voluntary enrollment with a new supplier. Small commercial customers under 25 kW demand often follow residential-style switching timelines unless they qualify as mercantile under statute (⁶).

Ongoing authorization: rate-change notices

Starting supplier service also implies ongoing communication when rates change:

• For introductory fixed rates that convert to variable rates, suppliers must send notices 60–90 days before expiration and again 15–45 days before, including PUCO's Apples-to-Apples comparison reference and SSO price-to-compare information on the bill (⁶).
• Customers who remain on variable rates after an introductory fixed period must receive annual notices that they are on variable pricing and that fixed offers exist (⁶).
• Notices may be mailed or sent electronically with verifiable electronic consent (⁶).

These rules protect you after enrollment; they do not replace reading your contract before you authorize the initial switch.

Practical checklist before you authorize

1. Confirm address and EDU — Use your ZIP to identify the correct distribution utility territory (³).
2. Gather verification — Utility account number or government-issued photo ID (for enroll-by-wallet paths).
3. Compare SSO vs supplier — Use PUCO's Apples-to-Apples tool (referenced in HB 15 notice rules) alongside retail offers.
4. Check contract exit costs — Early termination fees may apply if you leave a fixed contract early (²).
5. Note billing-cycle timing — Expect the switch on your next cycle, not necessarily the day you sign (²).
6. Ask about switching fees — Especially on FirstEnergy Ohio territories while the $5 fee remains (¹⁰).
7. Keep proof — Save enrollment confirmation and the signed verification record.

Regulated markets vs Ohio choice

In fully regulated states, you may not select a competitive supplier at all. Ohio sits in the group of states that restructured to allow retail competition (¹). ² serves Texas, Ohio, and Maryland—three choice states with different rules for verification, fees, and timelines—so compare offers within Ohio's framework rather than assuming another state's switch speed.

Bottom line

Starting Ohio electric supplier service is an authorized switch of your generation provider, layered on an existing utility delivery account. Plan on identity verification with signature, possible ID-based enrollment without memorizing your account number, and a switch that usually aligns with your next billing cycle rather than an instant flip. Switching fees depend on your EDU—eliminated at AEP Ohio as of April 2026, but still in play at FirstEnergy Ohio unless future cases change them. After supplier defaults or for certain business drops to default service, Ohio law can compress timelines or waive fees—worth watching if you are re-shopping under those circumstances.

Shop with the contract terms in front of you, not just the rate on the comparison screen. That is the authorization that actually governs your bill for the next year or more.