Dayton residents’ electric rates will cost less, council says

After a recent electric services auction this spring yielded higher rates, AES Ohio has applied to the Public Utilities Commission of Ohio (PUCO) to raise generation charges from 4.8 cents per kWh (kilowatt-hour) to 10.91 cents per kWh for the year starting June 1, 2022.

Electricity is getting more expensive across the nation, with supply chain chokepoints, the War in Ukraine and higher energy costs in general.

Last May, Dayton government joined the Sustainable Ohio Public Energy Council, a nonprofit group of governments that works to secure fixed-term electric rates.

Starting with the June 2022 meter-read date, eligible Dayton residents and small businesses will receive electricity at 7.457 cents per kWh for a year — about 30% less expensive than AES Ohio’s standard service offer, the council said Wednesday.

The average Dayton customer is estimated to save about $300 over the next year starting June 1, 2022 compared to that offer, the council said in its release.

On Wednesday, Maloney emphasized that the council’s program is not only less expensive but also derived from 100% renewable energy sources.

If it’s easier, in the press release we said “not only will Dayton’s Electric aggregation program now feature 100% renewable energy, and will also be approximately 30% cheaper than AES Ohio standard service offer”

Since this is a new program, there was no previous council price.

Only residents and small businesses within Dayton may join the program, said Phil Leppla, in-house attorney for the council. But other communities may activate their own programs and join the group, he said.

“The dramatic proposed rate increases announced by AES would place considerable financial stress on residents,” Dayton City Commissioner Matt Joseph said. “However, I’m happy and relieved that we at the city of Dayton have given our residents a better and cheaper option.”

If consumers wish to shop for a different energy supplier, they might be able to lock in different rates at the PUCO website, energychoice.ohio.gov.

AES Ohio, formerly Dayton Power & Light, remains the local electricity utility for customers in the city program, and the company will continue to deliver electricity and maintain poles and wires.