In January, AEP Ohio filed its annual update to its Basic Transmission Cost Rider (BTCR) which establishes the applicable rates to customers for the year. Within these filings, AEP Ohio shows monthly forecasts for billed demand and energy use for different customer rate classes.

This year, AEP Ohio is claiming that secondary rate class customers will experience billing demand 32% higher than 2024’s demand. Secondary rate class customers are typically small businesses, schools and churches. Although both OMA Energy Group (OMAEG) and the Public Utilities Commission of Ohio (PUCO) pushed back on AEP Ohio last year for using inflated forecasts to calculate the BTCR rates, it is clear that AEP Ohio is continuing to use inflated forecasts. OMAEG has filed comments in the case asking the PUCO to order AEP Ohio to reduce their load forecasts for this rider and use realistic values to calculate rates, and to investigate where else these inflated forecasts are being applied in AEP Ohio’s planning. 3/5/2026