Office of the Ohio Consumers' Counsel - Your Residential Utility Consumer Advocate

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OCC Annual Report 2024

Highlights

  • OCC served as the voice for millions of Ohio residential utility consumers, calling for consumer protections in more than 105 cases before the PUCO, the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission, the 6th Circuit Court of Appeals and the Ohio Supreme Court.
     
  • OCC testified for consumers before the General Assembly on eight separate occasions. OCC testified against submetering, extra rider charges to consumers, and cost shifting from energy efficiency and community solar programs. OCC testified in support of regulatory reform for electric security plans, virtual net metering and the replacement of lead water lines.
     
  • In appeals to the 6th Circuit Court, OCC was successful in eliminating extra profits from Ohio transmission rates, saving AEP, AES, Duke and FirstEnergy consumers about $445 million over the next six years.
     
  • OCC joined forces with state utility advocates from Maryland, New Jersey, Illinois and the District of Columbia in advocating for utility consumers in FERC dockets recommending changes to PJM’s capacity auction.
     
  • OCC teamed up with AEP Ohio and the PUCO Staff, reaching a settlement that protects consumers from footing the bill for new transmission investment necessary to accommodate power hungry data centers.
     
  • OCC advocated for consumers helping to reduce FirstEnergy’s electric security plan charges to consumers by almost a billion dollars.
     
  • OCC continued its advocacy for consumers in the four PUCO investigations of the HB 6 scandal involving FirstEnergy and the former PUCO Chair. OCC reviewed thousands of FirstEnergy documents, responded to public records requests and deposed former FirstEnergy employees.
     
  • The Consumers’ Counsel and Deputy Consumers’ Counsel travelled throughout Ohio to engage with local leaders and residents to provide information about proposed utility rate increases by FirstEnergy, Enbridge, AES and CenterPoint. As a result, numerous local communities passed resolutions opposing the increases with the resolutions being filed in the PUCO public docket.
     
  • OCC’s Outreach & Education staff helped educate consumers about utility service through 781 virtual and in-person events.

 


 

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