Ohio Edison bills could jump $37 by summer thanks to Winter Storm Fern and a PJM capacity charge. Lock in a fixed rate before April.
AKRON, OH, UNITED STATES, March 19, 2026 /EINPresswire.com/ — Two Separate Rate Hikes Expected Before July – Experts Say Shop Now
Ohio Edison customers may want to check their electricity options before spring arrives. Analysts at OHEnergyRatings.com say rising natural gas prices and a costly new capacity charge could hit Ohio Edison Price to Compare (PTC) customers with two separate bill increases before the Fourth of July. As a result, electricity customers in Akron and Youngstown could see average monthly PTC bills rise by $37.
You can find the full article here: https://www.ohenergyratings.com/about-us/press/ohio-edison-price-to-compare-rate-increase
A Brutal Winter Set the Stage
Winter Storm Fern drove natural gas demand to extreme levels across the country. Energy demand from LNG exports and data centers also added to the burden. The U.S. Energy Information Administration (EIA) reported that natural gas power generation jumped 14% across the Lower 48 states. The Henry Hub spot price surged to $9.03 per mmBTU on January 28. Regional hubs in New York and New England saw prices spike above $40. The February NYMEX natural gas futures contract closed at $7.46 per mmBTU, nearly double January’s price.
While gas prices eased quickly, cold temperatures gripped Ohio and much of the eastern United States for most of February. That prolonged cold pulled stored natural gas supplies below their five-year average.
But gas price effects on power generators are slow to show up on electricity customer bills. So, Ohio Edison customers usually don’t see price changes for a month or two. That means high February natural gas prices could impact electricity rates in April.
Numbers Point to Higher Bills
Analysts reviewed four years of rate data for five Ohio investor-owned utilities and found consistent patterns:
· Over the past four years, when utility PTC rates changed in April, they rose by an average of a little more than 2%.
· First Energy utilities, including Ohio Edison, tend to raise rates the most.
· AEP Ohio and Duke Energy tend to raise rates the least.
· A 2% April increase would push Ohio Edison’s PTC rate to about 11.358 cents per kWh.
For the average household on default service using 850 kWh per month, a 2% hike on Akron electricity rates this April means paying roughly $17 more on their PTC monthly supply charge.
A Second, Larger Hit Comes in June
When PJM’s capacity auction prices take effect June 1, bills could climb again. Last year, the first capacity auction rate added an average of 2.2 cents per kWh to Ohio utility rates overnight. Though the 2026 capacity auction results were far more expensive, PJM recently agreed to extend the existing price collar for two more years. However, another 2-cent increase this June would push the average Ohio PTC rate to roughly 14 cents per kWh.
This means that just as summer air-conditioning season starts, Ohio Edison customers could pay an additional $20 per month on top of the April increase. In short, Ohio Edison PTC customers could wind up paying $37 more on the first day of summer than they did on the first day of spring.
What Ohio Edison Customers Can Do Right Now
Between March 31 and July 4, Ohio Edison’s PTC rate will change four times. Two of those changes will likely bring higher prices. OHEnergyRatings.com reminds Ohio Edison customers to do an apples to apples Ohio rate comparison when they shop fixed-rate plans from certified retail energy suppliers. By locking in a low-priced plan now, customers can avoid being surprised by fickle PTC rates and get their electricity at a low price that will not change.
“Consumers already know that data center development is going to keep raising supply rates,” said Karl Trollinger, CEO of Electricity Ratings. “But we’re now seeing that as this happens, the Ohio Edison Price to Compare rates could grow more volatile. With affordability at the top of consumers’ minds, steady and predictable pricing from fixed plans makes it easier to budget monthly energy bills.”
About OHEnergyRatings.com
OHEnergyRatings.com is a website operated by Electricity Ratings, LLC.
Electricity Ratings, LLC operates a network of energy shopping websites serving 17 states and 56 utilities, providing our energy comparison and ratings service to over 80 million customers. We provide our customers with the power to choose the best providers through our consumer reviews platform which provides a reliable, unbiased source of valuable consumer insight. And we back that up by offering in-depth energy company service analysis, personalized recommendations, and practical advice. Our mission is to help consumers harness the power of information to find, compare, and buy electricity and energy services from the best providers.
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https://www.ohenergyratings.com/
Vernon Trollinger
OHEnergyRatings.com
email us here
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