Electricity and natural gas services are becoming increasingly expensive on a national scale.
In the Miami Valley, the electric company AES Ohio and electricity and gas provider CenterPoint Energy are requesting permission from the Public Utilities Commission of Ohio to raise what they charge.
Customers have the opportunity to chime in on the proposals online. AES Ohio also has in-person public hearings scheduled this month.
CenterPoint Energy Ohio is seeking an increase that would likely add $12 per month on the average utility bill. This amount was reached after a settlement agreement finalized on July 11.
AES Ohio, on the other hand, seeks an increase that would amount to $22 more a month on electric bills.
These would yield millions of dollars for each company.
“Utilities are permitted by law to earn their costs of providing service, plus, a reasonable return on their investments for doing so,” said Matt Schilling, PUCO’s director of public affairs. “So anytime a utility feels that it is not recovering its costs of doing business plus that return on its investment, it will seek an application to increase its rates."
CenterPoint seeking to recoup costs
CenterPoint is looking to recoup costs incurred to upgrade its natural gas distribution system, according to a statement from a company representative.
“These investments include the replacement of approximately 470 miles of bare steel, cast-iron and coated steel pipelines; installation of approximately 30,000 advanced meters; and deployment of enhanced leak detection technology designed to reduce emissions and improve system safety,” CenterPoint said in a company statement to WYSO.
At the same moment, the Texas-based company is looking to sell its Ohio utility division.
The customer advocate agency Ohio Consumers’ Counsel is intervening in both the AES Ohio and CenterPoint cases. The group is concerned the company won’t be around for the long haul, said Jon Blackwood, public affairs liaison for the counsel.
“We're really concerned about affordability in this case. CenterPoint consumers, many are living below 200% of the federal poverty guidelines. And again, their prices are going up across the board, particularly energy prices,” Blackwood said.
In the event of a sale, the Public Utilities Commission said the new owner will inherit CenterPoint Energy’s rates.
AES Ohio says material and labor costs increased
AES Ohio wants monthly bills to reflect the amount of investment the company's made "to benefit customers and communities," according to AES Ohio spokesperson Mary Ann Kabel.
"The overall costs of materials and labor have increased, and we have made substantial investments in our distribution infrastructure, including those necessitated by several major storms with confirmed tornadoes causing significant damage to electric infrastructure," Kabel wrote in a statement. "...With this proposed increase, AES Ohio’s monthly bill for transmission and distribution services would remain in line with our peers."
PUCO staff don’t recommend AES Ohio’s requested amount.
“Our technical staff will pour over the utility's application and verify and check all of the figures and dollar amounts that the utility has suggested in its application and will publish what we call a staff report,” said Schilling.
Blackwood said this increase is on the heels of increasing demand for electricity itself, which is another line item on consumers’ bills that are rising.
“Utilities have an incentive to charge more than they need to because a utility makes profit on what it charges to consumers,” Blackwood said.
There will be two public hearing opportunities for residents to give feedback on this case:
August 7, 2025 at 1 p.m.
Dayton Municipal Building
101 West Third Street
Dayton, Ohio
and
August 14, 2025 at 6 p.m.
Dayton Municipal Building
101 West Third Street
Dayton, Ohio
Affordable utilities needed for the 'health of the economy'
AES Ohio and CenterPoint have a lot of overlap. AES Ohio serves 527,000 customers in Western Ohio, while CenterPoint serves 333,000 customers in West Central Ohio.
Schilling said it’s fair to say that the commission “is aware of each case” when reaching their final decisions.
“And broadly speaking, the commission is certainly mindful of the financial impacts on customers for any utility rate increase request. But beyond that, I don't know that they specifically impact one another,” Schilling said.
Blackwood said these requests coming at the same time could lead to compounding impacts.
“It's a tough time for Ohioans and we wanna make sure that their utilities remain affordable, which is really important for the health of the state [and] the state's economy to keep utilities affordable,” Blackwood said.
AES Ohio’s case was filed in November, while CenterPoint Energy’s case was filed in October. It’s likely each case will go in front of the commission within the next few months based on previous application schedules, said Schilling.
People who want to submit comments can do so online:
Online submission form for CenterPoint
Online submission form for AES Ohio
Comments can be submitted until the official cases are decided upon.
