DCS

Energy savings in Ohio?

Ohio energy advisory and savings.

AEP Ohio, FirstEnergy, Duke Energy Ohio, and Dayton Power and Light running deregulated supply with strong PJM capacity stacking.

Territory profile

State
OH
Market
Deregulated supply market
Utilities tracked
6
Programs tracked
6

Ohio commercial energy strategy operates in a deregulated supply market with four major electric distribution utilities (AEP Ohio, FirstEnergy's three Ohio operating companies, Duke Energy Ohio, Dayton Power and Light / AES Ohio) plus two large gas distribution utilities (Columbia Gas of Ohio, Dominion Energy Ohio). PJM capacity market participation through aggregator relationships produces monthly capacity payments for any commercial site with at least 100 kW of dispatchable load. Utility-administered efficiency programs continue under reduced scope following HB 6, but project economics still pencil out on most prescriptive and custom commercial measures. For manufacturing operators, the Ohio sales and use tax exemption on qualifying manufacturing usage is a parallel recovery track. Developments CS works across all the electric and gas distribution utilities with tariff classification, supply contract structure, demand response enrollment, and tax exemption review as the standard engagement scope.

Major utilities we work with

Utilities we track in Ohio

Each utility carries its own tariff book, demand structure, and program environment. The engagement maps every account against every applicable schedule.

  • AEP Ohio

    electric

    Largest electric utility in Ohio by customer count, serving Columbus and most of central and southeastern Ohio. Commercial tariff schedules GS-2, GS-3, GS-4 carry distinct demand structures.

  • FirstEnergy Ohio (The Illuminating Company, Ohio Edison, Toledo Edison)

    electric

    Three Ohio FirstEnergy operating companies. The Illuminating Company serves Cleveland; Ohio Edison serves Akron and Youngstown; Toledo Edison serves Toledo. Each operates under its own tariff book.

  • Duke Energy Ohio

    combined

    Electric service across Southwestern Ohio including the Cincinnati metro; gas service across a wider footprint. Commercial tariffs DS, DM, DP set distinct demand and energy structures.

  • Dayton Power and Light (AES Ohio)

    electric

    Electric service in the Dayton metro and surrounding counties. Smaller footprint than AEP Ohio or FirstEnergy but commercial demand charges run high.

  • Columbia Gas of Ohio

    gas

    Largest natural gas distribution utility in Ohio. Commercial rates GS, LGS, LGS-1 carry distinct structures.

  • Dominion Energy Ohio (East Ohio Gas)

    gas

    Natural gas distribution across Northeastern Ohio. Commercial rates GS and LGS set the structure.

Programs we capture

Key Ohio programs the engagement stacks into

State and utility programs that stack with the underlying tariff and procurement work to compound the annualized recovery.

  • Rebate

    Ohio Energy Efficiency Resource Standard (EERS) successor programs

    Ohio's revised energy efficiency program structure following HB 6. Utility-administered commercial efficiency rebates continue under reduced scope; project economics still pencil out for many commercial measures.

  • Rebate

    AEP Ohio Business Solutions

    AEP Ohio commercial efficiency program. Prescriptive rebates on lighting, HVAC, refrigeration; custom incentives on engineered measures.

  • Rebate

    Duke Energy Ohio Smart Saver for Business

    Duke Energy Ohio commercial efficiency program. Prescriptive measures plus custom incentives on engineered projects.

  • Demand response

    PJM Emergency Load Response Program

    PJM capacity market participation for Ohio commercial accounts. Sites with at least 100 kW of dispatchable load qualify through aggregator relationships.

  • Rebate

    Ohio Air Quality Development Authority Industrial Energy Loans

    Low-interest loan program for qualifying industrial efficiency and air quality projects. Repaid from documented savings; useful on capital-intensive efficiency retrofits.

  • Tax credit

    Ohio sales and use tax exemption for manufacturing

    Ohio exempts qualifying manufacturing usage from state sales tax. Documentation requirements vary; eligibility tests apply to qualifying production processes.

What an engagement looks like

How a Ohio engagement runs

An Ohio engagement starts with the deregulated bill structure: the electric distribution company (AEP Ohio, FirstEnergy, Duke, AES Ohio) delivers the wires service; a competitive retail electric supplier procures the commodity. The first month of work runs a tariff classification review on the delivery side plus a supply contract review against actual load profile across all accounts in scope.

PJM capacity market participation is the second engagement lever. Any commercial site with at least 100 kW of dispatchable load qualifies through aggregator relationships. Monthly capacity payments scale with the auction clearing price for the relevant zone; recent delivery years have cleared materially higher than the prior cycle, making enrollment more lucrative than it was three years ago.

For manufacturing operators, the Ohio sales and use tax exemption track runs in parallel. A utility study quantifies the qualifying manufacturing usage; the exemption certificate is filed with the utility and with the Ohio Department of Taxation. Back-credit recovery on prior overpayments is available within the applicable statute, with documentation requirements that vary by manufacturing type and utility.

Sample finding patterns

What the pipeline catches in Ohio

Plausible examples drawn from the pattern types most commonly caught in Ohio. Specific clients are not named; utilities, tariff codes, and recovery ranges are. Recovery ranges are stated as ranges (typically the 25th to 75th percentile of the relevant cohort), never as point estimates.

  • Tariff schedule election

    AEP Ohio · GS-2 vs GS-3

    A Columbus distribution center on AEP Ohio GS-2 (general service, secondary, demand-billed) had a load profile that fit GS-3 (general service, primary, demand-billed) after a service upgrade two years prior. The reclassification picked up the corresponding demand and energy rate adjustment with structural savings on the delivery side. Supply contract was unaffected.

  • PJM Capacity enrollment

    FirstEnergy Ohio (The Illuminating Company) and PJM

    A Cleveland-area manufacturing facility with 1.1 MW of dispatchable load had never enrolled in PJM capacity. Enrollment through an aggregator produced monthly capacity payments tied to the relevant zone clearing price. Dispatch events averaged four per year; production scheduling absorbed the curtailment.

  • Gas tariff reclassification

    Columbia Gas of Ohio

    An Ohio food processor was billed on Columbia Gas of Ohio GS but consumed at volumes that placed the load on LGS-1 (large general service) for the prior 18 months. Reclassification to the correct schedule produced structural savings; the back-credit pursuit on prior overpayments was limited by the utility's stated policy on retroactive adjustments.

  • Manufacturing sales tax exemption

    AEP Ohio and Columbia Gas of Ohio

    An industrial manufacturer in Central Ohio had partial sales tax exemption filings in place but the supporting documentation had gaps. A formal use study and refiling produced a fuller exemption posture; the back-credit window covered prior overpayments within the Ohio Department of Taxation statute.

Related engagement archetypes

How this looks as a complete engagement

Engagement archetypes describe the pattern of work across a cohort of engagements sharing the same vertical, tariff exposure, and recovery shape.

Where to next

The disciplines that drive the work in Ohio

The Ohio engagement runs across all our standard service lines. Tariff and rate audits and billing forensics produce the immediate-cycle bill corrections; demand management and supply procurement cut the structural cost base; incentives and grants stack utility and state program funding into capital projects; tax and fee recovery surfaces back-credit on prior overpayments where qualifying use applies.

Schedule a 30-minute call about your Ohio portfolio.

Fifteen minutes with one of your Ohio bills is usually enough for us to see whether there is meaningful savings on the table.

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