Ohio households are getting hit with a rough double whammy this year: soaring electric bills and a surge in shutoffs. New state filings and utility reports show utilities cut service nearly 345,000 times between June 2025 and May, leaving many residents without power during hot weather and without electricity for other basic needs. Newly released data show Columbus neighborhoods are among the hardest hit.
Numbers Show A Statewide Spike
Across the state’s regulated electric utilities, an average of 7.7% of customers had their power turned off for unpaid bills in the reporting year ending May 31. That translates to roughly 345,000 disconnections and an average arrears of $558 at the time of shutoff, up from about $495 the year before. Those figures come from company reports filed with the Public Utilities Commission of Ohio, as reported by Canary Media.
Who’s Getting Cut Off And Where
The numbers highlight big gaps between utilities. AEP Ohio reported the highest disconnection rate at about 15%, while FirstEnergy’s utilities were near 3.6% in the latest reporting year. The 10 zip codes with the highest disconnection rates were primarily high-poverty areas in Columbus and Canton, where customers sometimes faced shutoffs for lower arrears than in rural parts of the state.
“Turning off someone’s power is always a last resort, and we do not disconnect customers during extreme weather,” an AEP spokesperson told reporters, according to Canary Media.
Why Bills Keep Climbing
Analysts point to a mix of familiar culprits behind the rising bills: ballooning electricity demand, including from data centers, aging transmission and distribution equipment, and the rollback of energy-efficiency programs that previously helped households cut usage. The average Ohio residential electricity bill grew more than 53% from June 2021 to June 2026, according to the Electricity Price Hub from Heatmap and MIT. Advocates say that trend leaves fewer realistic options for struggling families to bring monthly costs down.
Officials And Advocates Respond
The state’s consumer advocate says newly available zip code-level disclosures make it easier to target outreach and protections for vulnerable households.
“This information helps OCC identify trends, target concerns, and advocate for solutions that reduce disconnections and keep consumers connected to essential electric service,” Ohio Consumers’ Counsel Maureen Willis told reporters, as reported by Columbus Underground. Local organizers warn that hot summers and the need for air conditioning raise the stakes for families who lose service.
Help, Protections And Next Steps
Utilities say they offer payment plans, expanded outreach, and customer-assistance programs designed to help people avoid shutoffs, although the options and eligibility rules vary by company. If you are behind on a bill, officials recommend contacting your utility or the Office of the Ohio Consumers’ Counsel to learn about available assistance and protections for low-income customers. The Ohio Consumers’ Counsel publishes consumer alerts and resources for households navigating payment plans and programs.
Politics, Pay And The Bigger Picture
Advocates say the new disconnection numbers sharpen a long-running policy debate over how much of the grid’s cost should be borne by customers versus shareholders. An April analysis by the Energy and Policy Institute found utility CEO pay and profits surged in recent years, and reported that AEP’s CEO Bill Fehrman received roughly $36 million in 2025, a contrast critics cite when arguing for stronger consumer protections, as per Energy and Policy Institute.
Regulators and lawmakers now face pressure to use the new reporting and more targeted outreach to lower disconnection rates and consider policy changes, from different rate designs to targeted relief, aimed at keeping people connected. For now, the end-of-June filings offer a stark snapshot of how rising energy costs are translating into lost service across the state.
