FirstEnergy Ohio for Cannabis Facilities: Three Operating Companies, GS Demand, and SSO Benchmarks

Service area and three operating companies

FirstEnergy Ohio is not one company on the bill. It is three PUCO-regulated operating companies with separate tariffs and separate Standard Service Offer benchmarks [oh-energychoice-glossary]:

Operating company	Major cities	Tariff
Ohio Edison	Akron, Youngstown, Mansfield	P.U.C.O. No. 10
The Illuminating Company (CEI)	Cleveland, Elyria	P.U.C.O. No. 9
Toledo Edison	Toledo, Sandusky	P.U.C.O. No. 8

All three sit in PJM's ATSI zone [oh-energychoice-glossary]. Northern Ohio holds a dense cluster of dispensaries and several cultivators and processors among the state's 37 cultivator and 46 processor licenses [oh-lsc-sb56-final-analysis].

An MSO with a Cleveland dispensary and an Akron processor is managing two different SSO Price to Compare values even though both bills say FirstEnergy.

Delivery classes

Commercial classes under the Toledo Edison tariff (representative of the GS structure) are [fe-toledo-edison-tariff]:

Rate	Description	Typical cannabis account
GS	General Service, secondary	Dispensaries, mid-sized grows
GP	General Service, primary	Larger grows at primary voltage
GSU	Subtransmission	Very large loads
GT	Transmission	Rare in cannabis

Rate GS distribution includes a service charge plus a capacity charge per kW of billing demand [fe-toledo-edison-tariff]. The base-sheet figure is $10.98 for the first 5 kW and $8.039 per kW above 5 kW before riders that update regularly [fe-toledo-edison-tariff]. Non-bypassable riders such as NMB are also billed per kW of billing demand for GS and GP [fe-toledo-edison-tariff].

Billing demand and the Contract Demand floor

Billing demand is the greatest of [fe-toledo-edison-tariff]:

1. Highest 15-minute measured demand in the billing period
2. 5 kW minimum
3. Contract Demand

New customers' Contract Demand is set at 60 percent of expected maximum demand [fe-toledo-edison-tariff]. That 60 percent figure functions as a demand floor rather than a rolling 12-month ratchet. A new cultivator that expects 500 kW peak may start with a 300 kW Contract Demand floor even before full buildout.

Assume 480 kW measured peak with no higher Contract Demand. At the base-sheet $8.039/kW above 5 kW (before riders), the GS capacity component alone is roughly $3,820 per month plus the first 5 kW block [fe-toledo-edison-tariff]. Riders add more per kW. Confirm current rider-adjusted figures on the operating company's tariff before budgeting.

Default supply: Rider GEN and the June 1 reset

Standard Service Offer supply resets every June 1 from PUCO-supervised auctions [oh-energychoice-glossary]. FirstEnergy's Rider GEN combines energy and capacity for SSO customers.

On June 1, 2026 the combined energy-plus-capacity SSO rate for small commercial GS-Secondary customers rose about 6 percent to 9.38 to 9.45 cents/kWh depending on operating company [ecm-fe-ohio-sso-2026]. A fixed CRES contract signed before that reset may beat or miss the new SSO depending on PJM capacity outcomes [oh-energychoice-glossary].

Compare supplier offers on the PUCO Apples to Apples chart for eligible small accounts [oh-energychoice-glossary]. Larger accounts receive individual quotes.

CRES supply interaction

Any commercial customer may enroll with a PUCO-certified CRES provider [oh-energychoice-glossary]. Delivery charges, riders, and demand billing stay on the FirstEnergy bill. Supply charges move to the CRES provider line or a direct bill depending on arrangement.

Read PJM capacity pass-through language carefully. The 2026/27 delivery year carried sharply higher capacity costs [oh-energychoice-glossary]. A block-and-index contract may suit a cultivator with high summer peaks.

Efficiency programs

FirstEnergy's Ohio electric companies resumed energy efficiency programs including commercial lighting rebates under Electric Security Plan IV [fe-ohio-ee-resume]. H.B. 15 repealed ESPs, so verify current program availability at energysaveOhio.com before counting on rebates [fe-ohio-ee-resume].

Lake Erie humidity and northern grow peaks

Cleveland and Toledo grows face lake-effect humidity that keeps dehumidification load high from March through November [noaa-cag-ohio]. CEI and Toledo Edison accounts may show summer billing demand 15 to 25 percent above winter even with identical lighting, the opposite of dry western states. Size dehumidifiers for latent load, not catalog sensible tonnage alone.

Operating company identification on bills

The bill header shows Ohio Edison, The Illuminating Company, or Toledo Edison [fe-toledo-edison-tariff]. Apples to Apples columns are operating-company specific [oh-energychoice-glossary]. A CRES contract enrolled under the wrong operating company code delays switching.

Youngstown and Akron industrial legacy service

Former steel and manufacturing sites repurposed for cannabis often have primary service infrastructure intact [fe-toledo-edison-tariff]. GP primary service may be available without new transformer capex if switchgear is modern and utility inspection passes. Toledo Edison GS capacity charges still apply on secondary if primary is not reconnected [fe-toledo-edison-tariff].

ATSI zone capacity pass-through

FirstEnergy Ohio companies sit in PJM ATSI [oh-energychoice-glossary]. Supplier contracts must state whether capacity is priced at PJM market or fixed. Cultivators comparing offers from brokers headquartered in other states should verify ATSI-specific capacity adders, not generic PJM national averages.

Winter lake-effect cloud cover increases supplemental lighting hours in northern Ohio greenhouses that use hybrid natural and artificial light [noaa-cag-ohio]. Hybrid facilities may show higher load factor than fully indoor sites, which helps CRES pricing if interval data is shared during the bid [oh-energychoice-glossary]. Fully indoor Cleveland grows still face the same lake-effect humidity latent load as Akron grows [noaa-cag-ohio]. CEI and Ohio Edison customers use identical GS demand mechanics even when SSO Rider GEN prices differ slightly by operating company [ecm-fe-ohio-sso-2026].

Three operating companies, three benchmarks

FirstEnergy Ohio includes Ohio Edison, The Illuminating Company, and Toledo Edison, each with separate tariffs and separate Standard Service Offer Price to Compare values [oh-energychoice-glossary]. A cultivator in Akron and a dispensary in Toledo cannot share one benchmark number even though both say FirstEnergy on the bill [oh-energychoice-glossary]. The PUCO Apples to Apples chart lists each operating company separately for small commercial accounts [oh-energychoice-glossary].

Contract demand floor on new GS accounts

Under the Toledo Edison GS schedule, billing demand is the greatest of highest 15-minute measured demand, 5 kW, or Contract Demand, with new customers' Contract Demand set at 60 percent of expected maximum demand [fe-toledo-edison-tariff]. That floor functions differently from a rolling twelve-month ratchet: if you size service for 500 kW expected peak, the floor may bill 300 kW even in a month when measured peak is lower [fe-toledo-edison-tariff]. Submit realistic load letters during service application to avoid a floor set too high [fe-toledo-edison-tariff].

Northern Ohio climate and lake-effect humidity

Lake Erie adds humidity in Cleveland, Akron, and Toledo markets [noaa-cag-ohio]. Northern Ohio cultivators often see latent load exceed dry-climate benchmarks in shoulder seasons when outdoor dew points stay elevated [noaa-cag-ohio]. Dehumidification peaks can set billing demand in September as well as July [noaa-cag-ohio]. Size mechanical cooling and dehumidification together during design, not as separate add-ons after harvest cycles begin.

CEI vs Ohio Edison vs Toledo Edison billing

Cleveland-area CEI accounts, Akron Ohio Edison accounts, and Toledo Edison accounts use different tariff sheet numbers and different Rider GEN SSO values [oh-energychoice-glossary] [ecm-fe-ohio-sso-2026]. An MSO must tag each bill with operating company code before consolidating procurement data [oh-energychoice-glossary]. Non-bypassable riders such as NMB also bill per kW of billing demand on GS and GP [fe-toledo-edison-tariff]. Pull the current rider summary page when auditing demand lines [fe-toledo-edison-tariff].

Youngstown and Toledo cultivation footprint

Northeast Ohio hosts cultivators on Ohio Edison and CEI with lake-effect humidity elevating dehumidification peaks [noaa-cag-ohio]. Toledo Edison GS customers use P.U.C.O. No. 8 tariff sheets distinct from Cleveland [fe-toledo-edison-tariff]. Contract demand floor at 60 percent of expected max affects new builds more than mature operations [fe-toledo-edison-tariff].

Akron and Cleveland industrial corridors

Summit and Cuyahoga counties host processors and cultivators on CEI and Ohio Edison [oh-lsc-sb56-final-analysis]. Lake-effect moisture elevates latent load versus central Ohio sites [noaa-cag-ohio]. Compare SSO Rider GEN reset each June 1 across operating companies [ecm-fe-ohio-sso-2026].

Northeast Ohio portfolio notes

Cleveland and Akron facilities on CEI and Ohio Edison share PJM zone costs but not identical tariff sheets [fe-toledo-edison-tariff]. Contract demand floor at sixty percent of expected max hits new builds hardest [fe-toledo-edison-tariff]. Lake-effect humidity elevates dehumidification peaks versus central Ohio [noaa-cag-ohio]. Rider GEN SSO rose about six percent June 1, 2026 for small commercial GS [ecm-fe-ohio-sso-2026].

Operating company code on each bill must flow to corporate procurement spreadsheets [oh-energychoice-glossary]. NMB and other non-bypassable riders bill per kW on GS and GP [fe-toledo-edison-tariff]. Energy Save Ohio lighting program status is uncertain after ESP repeal; verify before rebate-dependent budgets [fe-ohio-ee-resume] [occ-hb15].

Archive Rider GEN benchmark screenshot each June 1 for CEI, Ohio Edison, and Toledo Edison separately [ecm-fe-ohio-sso-2026].

Compliance and documentation practices

Maintain a utility folder with the current tariff PDF, last twelve months of bills, interval exports, queue confirmation letters where applicable, CRES contracts, and witness test reports [fe-toledo-edison-tariff]. Update the folder after every rate case order and every June benchmark reset [oh-energychoice-glossary]. Facility managers should reconcile billing demand to interval peaks monthly and escalate discrepancies to the utility account manager before paying disputed invoices [ecm-fe-ohio-sso-2026]. Corporate finance should map utility COGS to cultivation, processing, or retail cost centers consistently across sites so board reporting reflects operational reality rather than blended averages [fe-ohio-ee-resume]. Legal should keep meter assignment language in leases aligned with the license holder entity on the utility account [oh-lsc-sb56-final-analysis].

Related reading

• Ohio hub: market overview
• Commercial electricity rates: cross-IOU comparison
• Cultivation facility energy: load profile in northern Ohio