AES Ohio for Cannabis Facilities: Voltage Classes, Demand Billing, and Dayton-Area SSO

Service area and grid operator

AES Ohio, formerly Dayton Power and Light, serves Dayton and west-central Ohio [aes-ohio-rates]. The territory sits in PJM [oh-energychoice-glossary]. Rates and tariff documents are listed on AES Ohio's rates page [aes-ohio-rates].

Montgomery County and the Dayton metro hold dispensaries and a smaller cultivator footprint compared with Columbus or Cleveland [oh-lsc-sb56-final-analysis]. Facilities in the Miami Valley are AES Ohio accounts.

Voltage-based delivery classes

AES Ohio organizes distribution tariffs by voltage class rather than the GS naming used by AEP or FirstEnergy [aes-ohio-rates]:

Class	Description	Typical cannabis account
D19	Secondary	Dispensaries, small grows
D20	Primary	Mid-sized cultivators, processors
D21	Primary-Substation	Large loads
D22	High Voltage	Very large industrial

Secondary and Primary classes bill distribution per kW of demand [aes-ohio-rates]. Riders including the Distribution Investment Rider, Infrastructure Investment Rider, and Legacy Generation Rider layer on top [aes-ohio-rates]. Pull current sheets from the tariff list before quoting $/kW figures.

November 2025 rate settlement impact

A PUCO-approved distribution rate settlement on November 5, 2025 raised SSO residential bills about 9 percent [aes-ohio-rates]. The June 1, 2026 to May 31, 2027 residential Price to Compare is $0.109/kWh [aes-ohio-rates]. Commercial SSO benchmarks differ by class; check Apples to Apples for published small-commercial values [oh-energychoice-glossary].

H.B. 15 will require distribution rate cases at least every three years going forward, so delivery charges will continue to move on a regulated schedule [occ-hb15].

Demand billing for grows and processors

Demand-metered secondary and primary accounts pay per-kW distribution on monthly billing demand [aes-ohio-rates]. A cultivator in the Dayton area with 350 kW peak faces the same structural issue as on other Ohio IOUs: summer dehumidification often sets the peak.

Assume 350 kW billing demand. Confirm the current per-kW rate on the D19 or D20 tariff sheet, then multiply. That line is delivery only and does not change when you switch supply.

Default supply and CRES enrollment

Default supply is the Standard Service Offer from PUCO-supervised auctions, reset every June 1 [oh-energychoice-glossary]. Compare CRES offers against the Price to Compare on Apples to Apples [oh-energychoice-glossary].

Enrollment follows the standard Ohio process: the CRES provider submits to AES Ohio, and the switch takes effect at the next meter read [oh-energychoice-glossary]. Delivery charges stay the same.

PJM capacity pass-throughs in the 2026/27 delivery year were sharply higher [oh-energychoice-glossary]. Read supplier contracts for capacity treatment.

Billing and riders

AES Ohio bills include distribution energy, distribution demand, and multiple riders [aes-ohio-rates]. The Legacy Generation Rider is a remnant of prior generation ownership and illustrates why H.B. 15's repeal of legacy riders matters for future bills [oh-energychoice-glossary].

Consolidated billing with CRES supply on the AES Ohio statement is typical. Direct CRES billing may appear as H.B. 15 rules phase in.

Dayton metro cannabis footprint

Montgomery County dispensaries and west-central processors cluster on AES Ohio [oh-lsc-sb56-final-analysis]. Fewer Level I cultivators locate in Dayton compared with Columbus or Cleveland, but AES territory still sees demand-metered grow loads in Huber Heights and Vandalia industrial parks.

Rider stack on commercial bills

Distribution Investment, Infrastructure Investment, and Legacy Generation riders layer on AES voltage classes [aes-ohio-rates]. Non-bypassable riders persist regardless of CRES supply choice [oh-energychoice-glossary]. When comparing supplier quotes, separate rider lines from generation to avoid double-counting savings.

Witness testing and load proof for class placement

AES Ohio assigns voltage class from expected and measured demand at witness test [aes-ohio-rates]. Bring your electrical engineer to the test with a load schedule showing simultaneous lighting, HVAC, and dehumidification draw. If the facility passes the test far below design load because rooms energize in phases, the utility may assign a lower class initially and reclassify upward later, which triggers billing surprises. Energize representative load before the witness test when safe and permitted.

Comparison with Duke Energy Ohio to the south

Cincinnati-area facilities on Duke Rate DS use P.U.C.O. Electric No. 20 rather than AES D19-D22 naming [duke-ohio-choice-tariffs]. Operators comparing Dayton vs Cincinnati buildout costs should request preliminary class letters from both utilities using the same load letter. SSO Price to Compare values differ by IOU even when per-kW delivery is similar [oh-energychoice-glossary].

AES Ohio commercial customers above small-business size receive individual CRES quotes rather than Apples to Apples postings [oh-energychoice-glossary]. Start the RFP when the service application is filed, not when construction completes, so supply can start on the first eligible meter read after witness testing [aes-ohio-rates].

Level I cultivators expanding toward 100,000 square feet in west-central Ohio should model primary D20 service at full buildout load even if phase one energizes smaller [oh-lsc-sb56-final-analysis]. Reclassifying upward after the fact can trigger minimum billing demand rules you could have planned for at initial energization [aes-ohio-rates]. Budget engineer and utility study fees in pro forma capex alongside lighting and HVAC [aes-ohio-rates].

West-central Ohio industrial rates remain competitive with the statewide 13.77 cents/kWh commercial average when delivery class is optimized [eia-epm-5-6-a]. The industrial average of 9.89 cents/kWh shows what optimized large-load pricing can approach [eia-epm-5-6-a]. CRES supply quotes should be compared against both benchmarks on Apples to Apples [oh-energychoice-glossary].

Metering and interval data for procurement

AES Ohio commercial accounts with demand meters can request interval data through the utility portal [aes-ohio-rates]. Export twelve months before soliciting CRES offers so suppliers see winter heating peaks on make-up air and summer dehumidification spikes, not just a single bill month [oh-energychoice-glossary]. Interval files also help your engineer confirm whether primary D20 service is justified before you pay for a dedicated transformer [aes-ohio-rates].

Interconnection and transformer ownership

Primary D20 and substation D21 service require the customer to own or lease the step-down transformer and maintain primary-side equipment [aes-ohio-rates]. AES Ohio assigns a witness test before energizing new commercial load; bring a one-line diagram showing lighting panels, HVAC, and dehumidifier circuits [aes-ohio-rates]. Three-phase 480 V distribution inside the building is standard for mid-sized grows; the utility delivers at secondary or primary depending on total expected demand [aes-ohio-rates].

Efficiency programs in AES territory

Ohio ended its statewide efficiency mandate in 2020, so AES Ohio business rebates are narrower than DTE or Consumers programs in Michigan [aep-ohio-efficient-products]. Check AES Ohio's website for current prescriptive offers before specifying DLC-listed horticultural LEDs [aep-ohio-efficient-products]. The Ohio Energy Loan Fund offers low-interest financing for projects that cut use at least 15 percent after an audit [oh-energy-loan-fund].

SSO auction timing for commercial accounts

The June 1 Price to Compare reset affects whether a fixed CRES contract signed in May beats or misses default service in July [oh-energychoice-glossary]. Commercial accounts above small-business size do not appear on Apples to Apples; request the utility's current SSO benchmark letter for your rate class when evaluating bids [oh-energychoice-glossary]. H.B. 15 allows CRES direct billing over the next few years, which may change how supply lines appear on AES statements [occ-hb15].

Legacy Generation Rider context

The Legacy Generation Rider on AES bills is a remnant of prior generation ownership [aes-ohio-rates]. H.B. 15's repeal of legacy riders will change total delivery over time [occ-hb15]. When comparing CRES offers, archive a bill PDF with all rider lines visible so future audits can separate repealed charges from ongoing distribution [occ-hb15] [aes-ohio-rates]. Dayton-area processors on D19 secondary should model upgrade path to D20 if expansion adds chillers and C1D1 ventilation that push peak above secondary thresholds [aes-ohio-rates].

Billing audit checklist for AES accounts

Each month match the rate schedule code on the bill to the D19 through D22 class table [aes-ohio-rates]. Multiply billing demand by the current tariff per-kW for demand lines [aes-ohio-rates]. Divide supply kWh charge by kWh and compare to Apples to Apples Price to Compare for your class [oh-energychoice-glossary]. Flag rider true-ups that change without class migration [aes-ohio-rates]. Store PDF snapshots with date stamps for CPA reconciliation of utility COGS [eia-epm-5-6-a]. Train facility staff to notice unauthorized CRES enrollment on the first bill after a vendor asks for account numbers [oh-energychoice-glossary].

West-central Ohio rate competitiveness

West-central Ohio industrial rates remain competitive with the statewide 13.77 cents/kWh commercial average when delivery class is optimized [eia-epm-5-6-a]. Industrial average of 9.89 cents/kWh shows what optimized large-load pricing can approach with correct class placement [eia-epm-5-6-a]. CRES supply quotes should be compared against both benchmarks on Apples to Apples [oh-energychoice-glossary].

Operational review for Miami Valley facilities

Dayton-area cultivators and processors should reconcile monthly billing demand against interval peaks within five business days of bill receipt [aes-ohio-rates]. Rider stacks change on schedule filings without public fanfare [aes-ohio-rates]. Legacy Generation Rider lines illustrate why H.B. 15 repeal matters for forward budgets [occ-hb15]. Compare Cincinnati Duke builds using identical load letters when choosing between southwestern counties [duke-ohio-choice-tariffs].

Commercial accounts above small-business size never appear on Apples to Apples; request SSO benchmark letter from AES account management [oh-energychoice-glossary]. Witness tests should energize representative simultaneous load [aes-ohio-rates]. Phase energization carefully: partial load tests can assign lower class that reclassifies upward later [aes-ohio-rates]. Corporate treasury should receive rider true-up notices even under future direct CRES billing [occ-hb15].

Related reading

• Ohio hub: market overview
• Commercial electricity rates: benchmarks
• Understanding your commercial utility bill