Clean Energy Columbus (CEC) brings residents together and uses collective buying power to secure competitive electricity rates. Over 200,000 households participate in the program. With that comes questions about what a CEC bill looks like. Here’s a simple guide to walk you through it.
How Aggregation Shows Up on Your Bill
Community choice aggregation allows Clean Energy Columbus to purchase clean electricity on behalf of residents for a stable, predictable price. This price, or electricity rate, is set each year in June for the CEC program and remains the same for the entire program year (June to June).
Residents who do not choose an electricity supplier pay the default electricity rate for their energy (the ‘utility default pricing’). This utility default pricing can change dramatically throughout the year. Residents enrolled in the Clean Energy Columbus program are protected from these fluctuations.
If you are enrolled in CEC, you’ll see AEP Energy listed as the generation supplier on your bill at the program’s negotiated rate ($0.0908/kWh for June 2025–2026). Once enrolled in the program, you will still receive one monthly bill from AEP Ohio, who remains responsible for delivering electricity to your home or business.
Reading Your Bill with Confidence
Focus on:
- Generation Supplier: This will say AEP Energy if you’re enrolled in the CEC program.
- Rate per kWh: This will reflect the current Clean Energy Columbus electricity rate of $0.0908/kWh.
- Usage (kWh): Represents the total amount of electricity consumed during the billing period.
A sample bill and guide to understanding your bill are available to help you understand the details. If you would like to check your eligibility or enroll, you can sign up online here or call AEP Energy directly at 1-888-307-0264.
Eligibility & Enrollment
Clean Energy Columbus operates on an opt-out basis, meaning you will be automatically enrolled if:
- You live within the Columbus city limits AND have AEP Ohio as your utility provider,
- You are not already under contract with a third-party energy supplier, and
- You are not participating in a Percentage Income Participation Program (PIPP).
Automatic enrollment in the program occurs each June, at the start of the new pricing cycle. CEC also conducts quarterly refreshes to include eligible households that are new residents or may have been missed during initial enrollment.
Though CEC is an opt out program, it is designed to be flexible. You can opt in or out of the program at any time by calling call AEP Energy at 1-888-307-0264, completely free of charge. Whether you stay in, opt out, or come back later, the choice is yours.