The Public Utilities Commission of Ohio (PUCO) sets the Standard Service Offer (SSO) for each Ohio investor-owned utility. SSO is the price-to-compare for residential customers and represents the rate a household pays if they have not enrolled with a competitive supplier. CRES (Competitive Retail Electric Service) suppliers compete below the SSO on locked-rate contracts. 2026 PUCO reforms tightened CRES marketing rules and required 14-point standardized disclosure on every offer.
How the Standard Service Offer is set
The SSO is set through a procurement auction managed by PUCO. The utility purchases power on behalf of default-service customers, and the procurement cost plus regulated margin is filed as the SSO tariff. The SSO updates quarterly for most Ohio utilities.
Households on SSO are not actively shopping suppliers. They are paying the regulated default rate which moves quarterly with the wholesale market and utility procurement costs.
How CRES suppliers are certified
PUCO certifies CRES suppliers through a process that includes financial bonds, marketing compliance, contract template review, and customer-service standards. Certified suppliers can market to Ohio residential and commercial customers.
Certification requires renewal periodically and can be revoked for marketing violations or contract breaches. The PUCO supplier list (energychoice.ohio.gov) lists only currently certified suppliers.
2026 PUCO reform highlights
The 2026 reforms tightened CRES marketing rules: door-to-door sales must show ID and provide written contract before signing; phone marketing must offer 3-day cancellation; every offer must include 14-point standardized disclosure (rate, term, cancellation fee, renewal terms, etc.).
The reforms also strengthened the Office of the Ohio Consumers Counsel (OCC) role in handling complaints and disputes between CRES suppliers and customers.
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