Ohioans brace for steep electricity bill hikes this summer
FirstEnergy Corp. customers who do not choose a separate provider or are not in a government bulk-buying group will see their electricity rates nearly double starting in June, with the average weighted base price rising to at least 10.1 cents per kilowatt hour from a current price of 5.3 cents/kwh. The price increase is due to a series of three competitive auctions of suppliers throughout the year monitored by the Public Utilities Commission of Ohio and blended into a price for the next year. Customers can avoid the increase by enrolling in a government aggregation or choosing a provider.