Cleveland Ohio Electricity: Illuminating Company Rate Guide

If you live in Cleveland, your electricity probably comes from The Illuminating Company, which is part of FirstEnergy. Ohio has deregulated electricity, which means you can shop around for a better rate.

Cleveland is Ohio's second-largest city with about 370,000 people. The average household here uses around 892 kWh per month, and a typical electric bill runs about $139.50 when you add supply and delivery together.

You've got three paths. You can stick with FirstEnergy's default service at their current Price to Compare rate. You can shop competitive suppliers through PUCO's Apples to Apples site. Or you can join the Cleveland CCA program, which is the city's aggregation deal through SOPEC that offers renewable energy options.

One wrinkle: part of Cleveland is served by Cleveland Public Power, a municipal utility. If that's you, you're outside the deregulated market and can't shop around.

The Illuminating Company is the main electric utility for Cleveland and most of Cuyahoga County. It's owned by FirstEnergy, which also runs Ohio Edison (Northeast and Central Ohio) and Toledo Edison (Northwest Ohio).

The Illuminating Company serves about 750,000 customers across Northeast Ohio. Their territory covers most of Cuyahoga County plus chunks of surrounding counties.

Here's what's important to understand: The Illuminating Company is a distribution utility. That means they own the poles, wires, transformers, and all the infrastructure that gets electricity to your house. They handle outage response, meter reading, and keeping the whole system running.

But they don't generate power for residential customers anymore. When you pick a competitive supplier, all that changes is who you're paying for the actual electricity. The Illuminating Company still delivers it either way.

No matter who your supplier is, if the power goes out, you're calling FirstEnergy.

The Illuminating Company's Price to Compare for Cleveland residential customers is 9.16¢/kWh from October through December 2025. That's the benchmark you're trying to beat when shopping.

For a house using 1,000 kWh (pretty typical for Cleveland), you're looking at total bills in the $173 to $187 range. That includes both the supply charge and all the delivery fees.

Rates have been climbing. Back in June 2025, they jumped nearly 2 cents per kWh. And FirstEnergy has proposed additional distribution increases that could add around $13 per month to your bill if PUCO approves them.

When you're comparing suppliers, focus on that 9.16¢ benchmark. Any rate below that means immediate savings on the supply portion of your bill.

If you don't want to comparison shop, the Cleveland CCA program is the path of least resistance. SOPEC (Sustainable Ohio Public Energy Council) runs it, and AEP Energy is the actual supplier.

It's an opt-out program, which means if you're an eligible Illuminating Company customer, you're automatically enrolled unless you say no. The city negotiates group rates, and you can leave anytime if you find something better.

Right now (August 2025 through July 2026), the 100% renewable option runs 9.236¢/kWh. That's slightly higher than the 9.16¢ Price to Compare, but you're getting green energy. If you want to save more, you can "opt down" to 50% renewable or traditional power by contacting AEP Energy for those rates.

For context, last year's rate (August 2024 through July 2025) was only 6.762¢/kWh for 100% renewable. Those were good times. Rates have gone up, but the CCA still offers a hassle-free way to get competitive pricing without spending hours comparing suppliers.

A decent chunk of Cleveland is served by Cleveland Public Power (CPP), not The Illuminating Company. CPP is the city's own municipal utility, and if that's who provides your electricity, this guide mostly doesn't apply to you.

Municipal utilities operate outside Ohio's deregulated market. You can't shop for competitive suppliers. You can't join the CCA program. Your rates are set by Cleveland City Council, not market competition.

CPP serves about 75,000 customers, mostly on the West Side, parts of downtown, and scattered neighborhoods throughout the city.

Not sure which utility you have? Look at the top of your electric bill. If it says "Cleveland Public Power," that's you. If it says "The Illuminating Company," you're in the deregulated market and can shop around.

Need to reach CPP? Call 216-664-3922.

If you're an Illuminating Company customer, you can shop for competitive suppliers through PUCO's Apples to Apples site at energychoice.ohio.gov.

The two benchmarks to beat: the 9.16¢/kWh Price to Compare (FirstEnergy's default) and the 9.236¢/kWh Cleveland CCA rate (which gets you 100% renewable).

You'll find a few different plan types. Fixed-rate plans lock your price for anywhere from 6 to 36 months, which protects you if rates climb. Variable-rate plans adjust every month based on market conditions, but they usually don't have early termination fees so you can bail if prices spike. Then there are green energy plans that use renewable power or RECs.

When you're comparing offers, pay attention to contract length, early termination fees, whether the advertised rate includes everything or has extra charges, and any hidden monthly fees. Some suppliers advertise a great per-kWh rate but then tack on a $5 or $10 monthly service charge that changes the math.

Your Illuminating Company bill has two main parts: supply charges and distribution charges.

Supply charges are what you're paying for the actual electricity. This is either the Price to Compare rate (if you're on FirstEnergy's default), your competitive supplier's rate (if you switched), or the Cleveland CCA rate (if you're in the aggregation program). This is the part you can control by shopping.

Distribution charges pay for FirstEnergy's infrastructure: transmission costs, customer charges, and various riders and fees. You can't shop this part.

For a typical Cleveland home using 1,000 kWh, your total bill runs $173 to $187. Of that, about $92 is supply (at the 9.16¢/kWh rate) and $81 to $95 is delivery.

Your bill shows your total kWh consumed, daily usage averages, and how your usage compares to last year. It also shows the Price to Compare so you can evaluate whether switching makes sense. If you're in the CCA program, you'll see AEP Energy listed as your supplier.

Understanding which charges are which helps you figure out where to focus. Shopping can reduce supply costs. Efficiency improvements reduce how many kWh you use (which cuts both supply and some delivery costs).

Two approaches: pay less per kWh, or use fewer kWh. Both help, and they stack.

On the supply side, the obvious move is finding a rate that beats the 9.16¢/kWh Price to Compare. The Cleveland CCA at 9.236¢ gives you 100% renewable without the hassle of shopping, or you can opt down to their 50% renewable or traditional options if you want a lower rate. If you think prices are going up, locking a fixed rate now protects you later.

On the efficiency side, Cleveland winters make this especially important. LED lighting upgrades, a smart thermostat that learns your schedule, and weatherization (sealing drafts, adding insulation) all make a real difference. FirstEnergy offers rebates on efficient appliances that help offset the upfront cost.

If money is tight, look into assistance programs. PIPP (Percentage of Income Payment Plan) caps your bill at a percentage of your income. HEAP (Home Energy Assistance Program) helps with heating bills. The Community Action Agency has additional resources.

Combining a better rate with efficiency improvements is how you get the biggest savings.

When the lights go out in Cleveland, the Illuminating Company handles it regardless of who supplies your electricity. That's always the utility's job.

To report an outage, call FirstEnergy at 1-888-544-4877. Their mobile app also works, and you can check the outage map at firstenergycorp.com to see what's happening in your area. Cleveland Public Power customers should call CPP at 216-664-3156 instead.

Cleveland gets hit hard in winter. Lake-effect snow off Lake Erie, ice storms, and summer thunderstorms all cause problems. Neighborhoods with mature trees see more outages from branches taking down lines.

FirstEnergy has been upgrading the grid, installing smart meters and automated switching equipment that can reroute power around problems. It helps, though outages still happen.

One important note: if you ever see a downed power line, stay far away and call immediately. Never assume it's dead.

Here are the numbers and resources you'll need.

For The Illuminating Company (FirstEnergy), call customer service at 1-800-589-3101 or report outages at 1-888-544-4877. They also have energy efficiency rebates on their website.

Cleveland Public Power customers should call 216-664-3922 for customer service or 216-664-3156 for outages.

For the Cleveland CCA program, visit SOPEC at sopec-oh.gov. If you want to opt down to a cheaper tier, contact AEP Energy directly.

To compare suppliers, use the PUCO Apples to Apples tool at energychoice.ohio.gov. If you have a complaint, call PUCO at 1-800-686-7826. The Ohio Consumers Counsel at 1-877-742-5622 offers free assistance if you need help navigating disputes.

If you're struggling to pay your bill, HEAP through the Cuyahoga County Office of Homeless Services helps with heating costs, and PIPP caps your payment at a percentage of your income.