CINCINNATI — Duke Energy is raising its electric rates for Ohio customers just as summer weather begins to hit the Cincinnnati area.
The company will increase its standard default plan to 10.445 cents per kilowatt hour on June 1, 2025.
That's a jump of more than 25% in the electric portion of customers' bills, according to the Ohio Consumer's Counsel. The delivery fee, the other portion, is not increasing.
But you could see a $10 increase in your monthly bill, according to estimates, on top of other recent utility rate hikes.
George Makris is one of many people who have contacted me after seeing a huge increase in their bills.
"This bill is the highest we've ever had," Makris said.
The Consumer's Counsel says the rate increase is due to several factors, including increased demand from summer heat waves, AI data centers, and Bitcoin mining operations.
"Data centers and crypto currency mining take a lot of electricity," the Counsel's JP Blackwood said.
Watch the video below for tips from an AC tech on how to lower your electric bills this summer:
Lower your bill with alternate suppliers
One way thousands of Ohioans have lowered their bills in recent years is by switching to an alternate supplier, either on your own or through your community.
Blackwood recommends checking the Ohio PUCO's "Apples to Apples" website to look for a cheaper supplier, or seeing if your city or township has a cheaper aggregation program.
They can save 10 to as much as 30 percent on the supplier portion of your bill in some cases.
By locking in a rate, Blackwood said, "you might have some insulation from the next rate increase."
But consumers should be cautious: when initial rates expire after 6 months or a year, bills could double or increase even more, according to Blackwood.
So he says you have to be diligent about when your deal expires.
Lower your bill with some simple steps in the house
Your air conditioner is typically the biggest consumer of electricity in your home during the summer.
So Rob Evans of Apollo Home recommends getting an annual A/C tune-up to ensure your system is running efficiently.
"You want to make sure it has the right amount of refrigerant in it," Evans said.
Evans also suggests checking your air filter every couple of months.
"A good thing to do is hold it up to light to see if light's coming through. If light's coming through that tells me it is probably clean," Evans said.
He says the $69 to $99 cost of a tuneup is well worth the investment.
Additional tips from Evans include:
- Swap out old lightbulbs for energy-saving LED bulbs
- Close blinds when the sun is coming in
- Don't run the oven on hot days
With rates not expected to decrease during summer months, taking these simple steps could help reduce your electric bill.
That way you don't waste your money.
This story was reported by a journalist and has been converted to this platform with the assistance of AI. Our editorial team verifies all reporting on all platforms for fairness and accuracy.
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