The short answer
To use PUCO Apples-to-Apples, identify your Ohio utility (AEP Ohio, FirstEnergy, Duke, AES Ohio), note your current SSO rate, then filter the supplier list for fixed-rate + no early-termination fee + no introductory period. Pick a finalist with a rate below SSO, e-sign, and your new rate kicks in at the next meter read (30-45 days).
Energychoice.ohio.gov — universally known as Apples-to-Apples — is the Public Utilities Commission of Ohio (PUCO) official supplier-comparison portal. The name refers to the standardized format every supplier offer must use: same usage assumption (typically 1,000 kWh/month residential), same units (¢/kWh), same disclosure of contract terms. Every offer is directly comparable to your utility Standard Service Offer (SSO) rate. This guide walks the portal end-to-end.
Step 1 — Ohio has 4 utilities, each with its own SSO
Apples-to-Apples first asks for your utility. Ohio has four investor-owned utilities: AEP Ohio (central + southeastern), FirstEnergy operating as Ohio Edison / Cleveland Electric Illuminating / Toledo Edison (northern), Duke Energy Ohio (Cincinnati metro), and AES Ohio (Dayton metro).
Each utility runs its own annual SSO auction — licensed suppliers bid on blocks of default-service load, and the winning bids set that utility SSO rate for the next 12 months. The four SSO rates differ by utility because the auctions clear at different prices. For early 2026, Ohio SSO rates range from about 5.4¢/kWh to 6.8¢/kWh.
Ohio sits inside two PJM zones — AEP zone and ATSI zone. Suppliers price offers slightly differently across zones based on basis differentials. A residential offer in Columbus may be 0.3¢/kWh different from the same supplier offer in Cleveland. The switching-energy-supplier-in-ohio guide walks the utility-specific details.
Step 2 — Reading the offer cards
Apples-to-Apples shows a sortable list of supplier offers ranked by rate. Each card contains: supplier name, rate (¢/kWh), term length (months), introductory period (if any) with reset rate, fixed vs variable, monthly customer charge, and early-termination fee.
The format is standardized but the offers vary widely. Some suppliers offer 100% renewable energy at a small premium (typically 0.3-0.6¢/kWh). Some offer "free nights" or "free weekends" gimmick rates that work for specific load profiles but rarely for typical households.
The clean residential profile: fixed rate, 12 or 24 month term, $0 customer charge, $0 early-termination fee, no introductory period.
Infographic
Ohio SSO auction-cleared rates — recent years
Step 3 — Enrolling and the 7-day cooling-off window
Click through to the supplier from Apples-to-Apples to enroll. You will need your utility account number, address, and a verifiable email. Enrollment takes 5 minutes; the EDI 814 handshake happens within 24 hours.
Ohio PUCO rules give you a 7-day cooling-off window after contract signing — you can cancel without penalty. The cancellation must be in writing (email or portal message). After 7 days, the standard early-termination fee applies if you cancel mid-term. The cooling-off-period-energy-supplier-rights guide walks the rule across all states.
Your new rate appears on the bill at the next meter read, typically 30-45 days from e-signature. Your utility (AEP Ohio, Duke, FirstEnergy, AES) keeps owning everything except the supply line on the bill.
Recap
Bottom line
PUCO Apples-to-Apples is the official Ohio supplier-comparison portal and the cleanest path for Ohio residents to compare competitive offers against the utility Standard Service Offer (SSO). The standardized format means every supplier offer is directly comparable; the 7-business-day cooling-off window provides protection if you change your mind after signing.
For most Ohio households, the right play is locking a 12 to 24-month fixed-rate contract with no introductory period and no early-termination fee, ahead of the annual SSO auction reset (typically June 1). The switching-energy-supplier-in-ohio guide covers utility-specific dynamics for AEP Ohio, FirstEnergy, Duke, and AES; the cooling-off-period-energy-supplier-rights guide covers the rescission rules.
Want Seenra to run this for your account?
Forever free for households. Commercial accounts get a same-day quote with full commission disclosure. No credit pull, no on-site visit, no service interruption.
Get my fixed-rate quote →Common questions