In Ohio, electric bills rose 53%, 345,000 lost power, and utilities still posted big profits

For many households, basic electric service is becoming harder to afford just as summer heat makes it even more essential. 

In Ohio, state-regulated utilities disconnected nearly 345,000 customers for nonpayment, Canary Media reported. However, the shutoffs likely affected more people because the 345,000 figure reflects one household or business rather than the total number of occupants.

What's happening?

In the year ending May 31, the statewide shutoff rate for past-due bills was 7.7%, and customers whose service was cut owed an average of $558 at the time of disconnection, up from $495 a year earlier, according to filings with the Ohio Public Utilities Commission. 

The Electricity Price Hub from Heatmap and the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, cited by Canary Media, shows that Ohio's average electricity bill rose by more than 53% between June 2021 and June 2026. Nationally, the increase over that span was 32%.

Disconnection rates varied widely by utility. AEP's Ohio Power posted the highest rate at 15%, while FirstEnergy recorded the lowest at 3.6%.

Those shutoffs have happened even as utilities and their executives continue to post substantial earnings, per Canary Media, citing Energy & Policy Institute analysis from April. In 2025, for example, the CEO of American Electric Power, which owns an Ohio utility, raked in $36 million. 

Why does it matter?

A shutoff can mean losing air conditioning during extreme heat, refrigeration for food and medicine, lighting, and the ability to live safely at home.

"Families are put in an extremely vulnerable position when electric utilities shut off their electricity for a debt," Shelby Green, research and communications manager with the Energy & Policy Institute, told Canary Media. Green added that "we'll continue to see the trend of disconnections grow" unless utilities spread some of their take-back to customers. 

That risk may grow as summers become hotter and drier, and HVAC units work overtime to keep houses cool. "It seems like it's only going to grow the problem," Morgan Harper, co-founder and executive director for Columbus Stand Up!, told Canary Media. 

What's being done?

Some companies say they are trying to reduce shutoffs. 

FirstEnergy spokesperson Brooke Conlan told Canary Media that the utility introduced "more flexible payment plans, increased outreach to connect people with assistance, coordination with state and local programs, and expanded protections for vulnerable customers."

Part of the response now involves closer tracking of disconnections. Under a 2024 settlement, AEP Ohio must share shutoff data by zip code with the Office of the Ohio Consumers' Counsel, creating a clearer picture of whether some communities need more assistance.

"Our analysis has shown that areas with high poverty rates do not always align with areas experiencing the highest number of disconnections, making local data important," Ohio Consumers' Counsel Maureen Willis explained to Canary Media. 

Canary Media reported that policy choices have also made relief harder to find. Ohio's House Bill 6 eliminated broad utility-run energy-efficiency programs that could have helped families cut electricity use and lower bills, while clean energy projects that could add cheaper power to the grid face major political and regulatory obstacles.

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