Full service
16.22¢
per kWh, 2025 average revenue
$103.09 / month at 636 kWh
Price −3.2% from 2024
Investor Owned · 677,581 residential customers · Ohio
Why is my The Illuminating Company electric bill so high?
EIA respondent: Cleveland Electric Illum Co. Reviewed October 14, 2026. Also searched as FirstEnergy.
The Illuminating Company did not have one residential price in 2025. EIA keeps the service types separate. 137,419 full service customers averaged 16.22¢ per kWh and $103.09 a month; 540,162 delivery only customers averaged 7.71¢ per kWh and $54.59 a month. A blended average would describe neither bill. The legal name in the filing is Cleveland Electric Illum Co.
Ohio's 2025 statewide residential average was 16.90¢. July 2026 was 19.45¢, versus 17.38¢ in July 2025 (+11.9%). Compare each The Illuminating Company service type with those figures on its own.
From 2024 to 2025, the average monthly bill for full service changed −0.2%. Average use changed +3.1% and average price changed −3.2%. Holding the 2024 price fixed, the usage change accounts for $3.26 a month. The price change, applied to 2025 usage, accounts for −$3.45.
EIA Form 861, 2025 final · Reviewed October 14, 2026
EIA Electric Power Monthly, Table 5.6.A · Reviewed October 14, 2026
Delivery only
7.71¢
per kWh, 2025 average revenue
$54.59 / month at 708 kWh
Price −1.3% from 2024
The rate on the record
Investor-owned base rates are usually set in a state docket. Riders can change outside a full rate case. Average revenue per kilowatt-hour is total residential revenue divided by residential sales. It is not a tariff schedule.
| Service | Customers | Price | Monthly use | Monthly bill | Vs 2024 price |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Full service | 137,419 | 16.22¢ | 636 kWh | $103.09 | −3.2% |
| Delivery only | 540,162 | 7.71¢ | 708 kWh | $54.59 | −1.3% |
EIA-861 sales to ultimate customers, 2025 final, compared with 2024 · Reviewed October 14, 2026
By state
| State | Service | Customers | Price | Monthly bill |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| OH | Full service | 137,419 | 16.22¢ | $103.09 |
| OH | Delivery only | 540,162 | 7.71¢ | $54.59 |
Audit the full service average
Revenue 169,992 thousand dollars. Sales 1,048,189 MWh. Customers 137,419. Cents per kWh = revenue ÷ megawatt-hours × 100. Monthly bill = revenue × 1,000 ÷ customers ÷ 12.
Audit the delivery only average
Revenue 353,835.8 thousand dollars. Sales 4,591,546 MWh. Customers 540,162. Cents per kWh = revenue ÷ megawatt-hours × 100. Monthly bill = revenue × 1,000 ÷ customers ÷ 12.
Why a The Illuminating Company bill moved
Usage and price pulled in opposite directions
Hold a The Illuminating Company household to the filing average and the monthly delivery only bill changed +2.2% between those two EIA years. Holding the 2024 price fixed, the usage change of +3.6% is worth $1.90 a month. The price change of −1.3%, from 7.81¢ to 7.71¢, is worth −$0.73 on 2025 usage.
Below the Ohio average
7.71¢ per kWh is below Ohio's 2025 residential average of 16.90¢. July 2026 in the state was 19.45¢, versus 17.38¢ a year earlier (+11.9%). The utility figure is a full year of average revenue. The state figure is one later month. A household that uses more than 708 kWh will not land on $54.59.
Two residential prices, on purpose
The Illuminating Company reported more than one residential service with a real customer count: 137,419 full service customers at 16.22¢; 540,162 delivery only customers at 7.71¢. Bundled customers buy supply and delivery together. Delivery customers buy supply from someone else. A single blended rate would describe neither bill.
Season
The 2025 monthly average for this The Illuminating Company service was 708 kWh, and the Ohio residential average was 874 kWh. A single month can sit far from either figure. Compare kilowatt-hours with the same month last year before you treat the whole increase as a rate hike.
Time-of-use is already on the EIA schedule
EIA's 2025 dynamic-pricing file shows residential time-of-use activity at The Illuminating Company, with 53 residential customers enrolled in dynamic pricing. The expensive window is in the tariff, not in that enrollment count. Shifting a dishwasher or an EV charger only helps if you are actually on that schedule.
EIA-861 2025 and 2024 residential sales · Reviewed October 14, 2026
Rate cases and hikes
Needs verification No rate case for The Illuminating Company has been reviewed for this page. Orders and pending dockets are public at Public Utilities Commission of Ohio. Investor-owned base rates are usually set in a public docket. Municipal and cooperative rates may be set by a city or a co-op board instead. Which body sets this utility's rates needs verification.
Public Utilities Commission of Ohio · Reviewed October 14, 2026
Assistance
LIHEAP is the federal bill program, and the state contact list is the place to start. A The Illuminating Company income discount, medical baseline, or budget-billing rule was not retrieved from Public Utilities Commission of Ohio. That offer needs verification.
LIHEAP program · State and territory contacts · The Illuminating Company site
The company homepage is linked for navigation. Program rules on that site were not reviewed. Needs verification.
LIHEAP · Reviewed October 14, 2026
How to lower the bill
- Read the kilowatt-hours against this filing's average of 708 kWh a month. If your use is the thing that moved, the dollar total can rise on an unchanged rate.
- Add the supply line and the delivery line before you decide the bill is high. This page keeps those EIA rows apart so they are not blended.
- Match this month's weather to last year's same month. A mild comparison month makes an ordinary bill look like a hike.
- Start with LIHEAP for Ohio (https://www.acf.hhs.gov/ocs/map/liheap-map-state-and-territory-contact-listing). A The Illuminating Company discount beyond that program needs verification.
- 53 residential customers were already on a dynamic price in the 2025 EIA file. If you are one of them, the window on the tariff is the lever. If you are not, calling the utility to discuss the schedule is the first step, not shifting load you are not being charged extra for.
- If the read is marked estimated, the next actual read can true the account up or down. The tariff rule for that true-up needs verification.
Full service at the 2025 average price
| Monthly use | Estimated bill |
|---|---|
| 500 kWh | $81.10 |
| 750 kWh | $121.65 |
| 1,000 kWh | $162.20 |
| 1,500 kWh | $243.30 |
| 2,000 kWh | $324.40 |
Usage times the average price. At very low use, a real bill is often higher because a fixed customer charge does not shrink. The tariff needs verification.
Delivery only at the 2025 average price
| Monthly use | Estimated bill |
|---|---|
| 500 kWh | $38.55 |
| 750 kWh | $57.83 |
| 1,000 kWh | $77.10 |
| 1,500 kWh | $115.65 |
| 2,000 kWh | $154.20 |
Usage times the average price. At very low use, a real bill is often higher because a fixed customer charge does not shrink. The tariff needs verification.
Questions people ask
Why is my The Illuminating Company electric bill so high?
The Illuminating Company did not have one residential price in 2025. EIA keeps the service types separate. 137,419 full service customers averaged 16.22¢ per kWh and $103.09 a month; 540,162 delivery only customers averaged 7.71¢ per kWh and $54.59 a month. A blended average would describe neither bill. The legal name in the filing is Cleveland Electric Illum Co. Ohio's 2025 statewide residential average was 16.90¢. July 2026 was 19.45¢, versus 17.38¢ in July 2025 (+11.9%). Compare each The Illuminating Company service type with those figures on its own. From 2024 to 2025, the average monthly bill for full service changed −0.2%. Average use changed +3.1% and average price changed −3.2%. Holding the 2024 price fixed, the usage change accounts for $3.26 a month. The price change, applied to 2025 usage, accounts for −$3.45.
What was The Illuminating Company's average residential rate?
Using 2025 EIA-861 revenue and sales, the delivery only average was 7.71¢ per kWh. Average use was 708 kWh a month and the average bill was $54.59. This folds in whatever customer charges and riders the utility reported. It is not the marginal rate on your tariff.
Did The Illuminating Company raise rates?
The delivery only average price changed −1.3% from 2024 to 2025, from 7.81¢ to 7.71¢. That is average revenue per kilowatt-hour, not a commission order. No 2025–2026 order for this utility was retrieved for this page. A separate rider can still move a single month.
What bill assistance can The Illuminating Company customers ask about?
LIHEAP is the federal program for home energy bills (https://www.acf.hhs.gov/ocs/programs/liheap). The Illuminating Company may also offer an income-qualified discount, budget billing, or a medical baseline. The current offer, income cutoff, and how to apply need verification on the utility site and with the state LIHEAP office and Public Utilities Commission of Ohio.
Are data centers why this bill went up?
Large computing load is raising U.S. electricity demand, and regulators can later recover new generation and wires costs from customers. EIA has not published a dollar line that isolates data centers on this utility's residential bill. That pass-through needs verification.