Ohio residents dealing with repeated outages from FirstEnergy are now facing another blow: A state audit found that electricity prices in Ohio have risen 34% since 2022, while regulators have fallen behind on basic oversight and planning.
For households and businesses already coping with spoiled food, lost income, and the stress of recurring blackouts, that combination could make an already frustrating system even harder to afford.
Here's what to know
According to News 5, the audit said regulators have allowed energy prices to climb 34% since 2022 while also falling short on rate-case deadlines, collecting complete operational data, and planning for long-term increases in electricity demand.
In Lakewood and other communities served by FirstEnergy, residents say unreliable service and repeated blackouts persist.
"I've been here 25 years, never been through anything like this," Lakewood resident Don Nottage said.
State Auditor Keith Faber and his team conducted the audit, which found the commission is not adequately prepared for future power needs as data centers expand and 2025 legislation creates new obligations.
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Ohio House Bill 15, a sweeping energy policy overhaul, mandated both the review and new transparency rules for PUCO.
"It is gonna take some time for the agencies to get in alignment," said State Representative Adam Mathews.
More background
"People lost money. People lost material. Businesses lost days of business, and we shouldn't be going through this," Nottage said.
State Senator Kent Smith blamed Republicans for Ohio's limited energy options even as the report said the state needs more power generation.
"We used to have a bunch of utility-scale solar projects coming to Ohio that stopped five years ago," Smith said. "They're a result of anti-competitive policies adopted by the Statehouse Republicans."
What's being done?
Because House Bill 15 was meant in part to make PUCO more transparent, the audit gives state officials a clearer picture of where the commission is falling short.
Beyond PUCO, Mathews said lawmakers still have to decide what role data centers should play in Ohio's energy future, especially if those large users are adding to demand. He argued that companies increasing system costs should cover those costs themselves rather than passing them along to residents.
FirstEnergy sent customers a letter in September apologizing for the outages and outlining plans to improve service.
"We're the ones that deserve a break," Nottage said. "I would ask FirstEnergy, if in their conscience they're okay with raising rates on us, given the profits they're already making."
Where can I learn more?
Ohio's rising power costs and repeated outages are part of a wider pattern playing out in nearby states and across the country.
• In Ohio, power shutoffs hit 345,000 even as electric bills and utility profits climbed.
• As outages worsen, Generac is pushing backup batteries and solar to keep homes running.
• In Pennsylvania, regulators want utilities to prove they're fixing electricity lost on the grid.
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