# Duke Energy Ohio Rate Increase 2026: $8 a Month Request

> Duke Energy Ohio wants to raise electric distribution rates, about $8 a month at 1,000 kWh by its count. Not approved; local PUCO hearings Dec. 1 and 10.

- URL: https://solarexaminer.com/posts/duke-energy-ohio-rate-increase-2026/
- Site: Solar Examiner (https://solarexaminer.com/)
- Category: News
- Published: 2026-10-23
- Last verified: 2026-10-23
- Author: John Marshall

## Key takeaways

- Duke Energy Ohio has asked the Public Utilities Commission of Ohio (PUCO) to raise its electric distribution (delivery) rates in Case No. 26-0132-EL-AIR. It is a request, not an approved rate.
- Duke says the average residential customer using 1,000 kWh a month would pay about $8 more, about 4.5% of the total bill. The Ohio Consumers' Counsel (OCC) puts a typical bill increase at about $8.32 a month.
- OCC describes the request as a 38% increase in distribution charges. Duke says looking at distribution alone ignores riders that would shrink or be folded into base rates.
- PUCO public hearings: 6 p.m. Dec. 1 in Middletown, and 12:30 p.m. (Cincinnati) and 6 p.m. (Hamilton) on Dec. 10, 2026. You can also comment online or by mail.
- Nothing changes until the PUCO rules. OCC says an approved increase would take effect in 2027.



Duke Energy Ohio has asked state regulators to raise the delivery part of its electric rates, an increase the company says would add about **$8 a month** for a household using 1,000 kWh, about 4.5% of the total bill. Nothing is approved. The Public Utilities Commission of Ohio (PUCO) has set three public hearings for **December 1 and December 10, 2026**, and the state's residential consumer advocate has intervened to challenge it.

The application is Case No. 26-0132-EL-AIR. It covers Duke's electric distribution charges in southwest Ohio, the Cincinnati area, and not the supply price, other Ohio utilities, or Duke's separate natural gas case. Our [Ohio electric rates and solar page](/posts/ohio-electricity-rate-changes-2026/) covers default supply prices for AEP Ohio, AES Ohio and the FirstEnergy utilities.

## The Request at a Glance

| Item | Figure | Status / source |
|---|---|---|
| What changes | Electric distribution (delivery) charges | Requested; OCC fact sheet |
| Residential bill at 1,000 kWh | About +$8 a month, about 4.5% of the total bill | Duke estimate, requested (Duke spokesperson to WKRC/Local 12 and FOX19, June 2026) |
| Typical residential bill | About +$8.32 a month | OCC fact sheet, requested |
| Distribution charges alone | About 38% increase | OCC, requested |
| Non-residential customers | About 3% | Duke estimate (FOX19), requested |
| Total revenue requested | Not found in the sources we could check | — |
| Earliest change | 2027, if approved | OCC fact sheet |

Duke's dollar estimate and OCC's are close: about $8.00 versus $8.32 a month. They diverge on percentages because they measure different things. Duke's 4.5% is a share of the whole bill, which includes supply and transmission. OCC's 38% is the change to distribution charges alone, which OCC says it focuses on because "Duke only has authority over the distribution charges," according to WKRC/Local 12.

Local 12 also reported an OCC consumer alert that put the rise in distribution charges at "nearly $18 per month" for a typical customer. That is a distribution-only measure, unlike the $8.32 total-bill figure on OCC's fact sheet. Duke's response, as reported by Local 12, is that OCC's distribution-only figure ignores distribution riders that would decrease or be rolled into base rates under the proposal. We could not find that alert, so treat the $18 figure as OCC's estimate as reported, not as a confirmed bill impact.

## Why Duke Says It Needs the Increase

Duke told FOX19 in June that the request covers infrastructure modernization and capital investments made since its electric distribution rates were last raised in 2021. Duke told FOX19 this month that "There is never a good time to propose a rate increase" and that "at the end of the day, our job is to keep the lights on."

Duke told FOX19 in June that it filed at the end of March 2026, though a FOX19 story this month says June. The trade publication EnergyChoiceMatters reported on September 21 that PUCO staff had filed its report in the case. We were not able to obtain the staff report itself, so we cannot say what revenue increase, if any, staff recommends.

OCC has intervened on behalf of about 500,000 Duke residential customers and says it will present evidence on affordability. It also plans to ask the PUCO for a virtual public hearing; none had been scheduled as of OCC's fact sheet.

## Public Hearings and How to Comment

The three hearings listed by OCC:

| Date and time | Location |
|---|---|
| Tuesday, Dec. 1, 2026, 6 p.m. | MidPointe Library, Community Room, 125 S. Broad St., Middletown |
| Thursday, Dec. 10, 2026, 12:30 p.m. | Cincinnati City Hall, Council Chambers, Room 300, 801 Plum St., Cincinnati |
| Thursday, Dec. 10, 2026, 6 p.m. | Hamilton Municipal Building, Council Chambers (first floor), 345 High St., Hamilton |

You can also comment in writing:

- **Online:** through the PUCO's public comment page for Case No. 26-0132.
- **By mail:** Public Utilities Commission of Ohio, 180 E. Broad St., 11th Floor, Columbus, OH 43215. Reference Duke Energy Ohio Case No. 26-0132-EL-AIR.

Community group Communities United for Action held a meeting on October 21 to help residents prepare testimony for the hearings, FOX19 reported.

## What It Means for Your Bill

A distribution case changes the delivery side of your bill: the fixed monthly customer charge and per-kWh delivery charges. It does not change the price of the electricity itself. If you buy supply from a competitive supplier or through a city aggregation program, your supply price follows your contract, but you still pay Duke's distribution rates.

Using Duke's own figure, the request works out to about **$96 a year** for a 1,000 kWh-a-month home ($8 × 12). OCC's typical-bill figure works out to about **$100 a year** ($8.32 × 12); OCC does not state the usage behind it. Your own change depends on how much you use and on how the PUCO splits any increase between fixed and per-kWh charges. We could not find that proposed split in the sources we checked. Our guide to [reading your electric bill](/posts/how-to-read-your-electric-bill/) shows where distribution charges and riders appear on a statement.

## What It Means if You Have or Want Solar

- **Solar that offsets your own use:** every kWh your panels supply to your home avoids Duke's per-kWh distribution charge. Under Ohio net metering, imports and exports are netted over each billing period, so exports that offset same-month use count too. A higher per-kWh distribution rate makes that solar slightly more valuable.
- **Net excess:** only the kWh left over after a month's netting are credited, and at the energy portion of the supply rate alone, not delivery, so that credit would not gain from this case. See our [rundown of Ohio net metering in 2026](/posts/ohio-net-metering-rule-review-2026/).
- **Fixed charges:** any increase to the monthly customer charge is billed whether or not you have solar. Our explainer on [fixed charges and solar savings](/posts/fixed-charges-and-solar-savings/) shows why that matters for payback.

If you are comparing solar quotes in Duke's territory, ask installers which rate they assumed for savings. A quote built on a distribution rate that has not been approved is a forecast, not a fact.

## What Happens Next

1. Local public hearings on December 1 and December 10, 2026.
2. An evidentiary hearing before the PUCO, where Duke, PUCO staff, OCC and other parties present testimony. Parties may also negotiate a settlement, which the PUCO would still have to approve.
3. A PUCO order. OCC says an approved increase would take effect in 2027; Duke told FOX19 it expected the following May.

OCC also lists a separate Duke natural gas distribution case (Case No. 26-0635-GA-AIR), which this article does not cover.

## Sources and verification

| Important claim | Source | Status |
|---|---|---|
| Case No. 26-0132-EL-AIR covers distribution charges; typical bill +$8.32/month; effective 2027 if approved; OCC represents ~500,000 residential customers | [OCC fact sheet, Duke electric rate increase](https://www.occ.ohio.gov/factsheet/duke-energy-electric-rate-increase-26-0132-el-air) | Verified |
| Hearing dates, times and locations; how to comment by mail and online | [OCC fact sheet](https://www.occ.ohio.gov/factsheet/duke-energy-electric-rate-increase-26-0132-el-air) | Verified |
| 38% increase in distribution charges | [OCC fact sheet (caption)](https://occ.ohio.gov/factsheet/duke-energy-ohio-rate-increase-26-132-el-air); [WKRC/Local 12, June 1, 2026](https://local12.com/news/consumer-alerts/duke-energy-rate-increase-ohio-residents-cincinnati-transmission-distribution-ohio-consumers-counsel-bills-fixing-costs-puco) | Qualified (OCC's basis not stated) |
| Duke: about $8/month, 4.5%, at 1,000 kWh; 3% non-residential; investments since 2021 | [FOX19, June 1, 2026](https://www.fox19.com/2026/06/01/duke-energy-requests-8-monthly-electric-rate-increase-ohio/); [WKRC/Local 12](https://local12.com/news/consumer-alerts/duke-energy-rate-increase-ohio-residents-cincinnati-transmission-distribution-ohio-consumers-counsel-bills-fixing-costs-puco) | Qualified (news reports of Duke statements) |
| OCC "nearly $18 per month" on distribution; Duke's rider response | [WKRC/Local 12](https://local12.com/news/consumer-alerts/duke-energy-rate-increase-ohio-residents-cincinnati-transmission-distribution-ohio-consumers-counsel-bills-fixing-costs-puco) | Qualified (news) |
| Ohio net metering nets imports and exports per billing period; net excess credited at supply energy component only | [AEP Ohio net energy metering tariff](https://www.aepohio.com/lib/docs/business/builders/NetEnergyMeteringService2023-01-18.pdf); [our Ohio rates hub](/posts/ohio-electricity-rate-changes-2026/) | Verified (AEP Ohio tariff, which follows the state rule) |
| PUCO staff report filed | [EnergyChoiceMatters, Sept. 21, 2026](https://www.energychoicematters.com/stories/20260921b.html) | Qualified (trade press) |
| Oct. 21 community meeting; Duke quotes; FOX19's "filed in June" | [FOX19, Oct. 21, 2026](https://www.fox19.com/2026/10/22/cincinnati-residents-push-back-duke-energy-rate-increase/) | Qualified (news) |

Checked October 23, 2026. Figures are requests, not approved rates.

## Frequently asked questions

### How much will Duke Energy Ohio electric bills go up?

If the PUCO approved the request as filed, Duke estimates about $8 more a month, or about 4.5% of the total bill, for a residential customer using 1,000 kWh. OCC's figure for a typical bill is about $8.32 a month. The PUCO can approve all, part or none of the request.

### When would the Duke Energy Ohio rate increase start?

Not before the PUCO issues a decision. OCC says an approved increase would take effect in 2027, and Duke told FOX19 in June that it expected new rates the following May. Current distribution rates stay in place until then.

### How can I comment on Duke's rate increase?

Speak at one of the three local public hearings (Dec. 1 in Middletown, Dec. 10 in Cincinnati and Hamilton), file a comment on the PUCO's website for Case No. 26-0132, or mail a letter to the Public Utilities Commission of Ohio, 180 E. Broad St., 11th Floor, Columbus, OH 43215, referencing Case No. 26-0132-EL-AIR.

### Does this case change Duke's electricity supply price?

No. This case covers distribution (delivery) charges. Duke's default supply price is set separately through auctions, and customers who buy from a competitive supplier or a city aggregation program pay their contract price for supply.

### What does the Duke rate case mean for solar owners in Ohio?

Ohio net metering nets the power you import against the power you export over each billing period, so solar that offsets your own use within the month avoids per-kWh distribution charges. A higher per-kWh distribution rate makes that solar worth a bit more. Only a month's net excess is credited, and at the energy portion of supply alone, so that credit would not gain. Fixed monthly charges are billed with or without solar.


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