Columbia Gas of Ohio Rate Selection Guide
Columbia Gas of Ohio, a NiSource local distribution company, delivers natural gas to roughly 1.22 million customers across Ohio. The utility offers a self-service online portal for monthly billing and usage data, supports gas supplier choice through Ohio's Energy Choice program and Standard Choice Offer (SCO), and exchanges supplier data via a proprietary flat-file system rather than ANSI X12 EDI.
Columbia Gas of Ohio Rate Schedule Comparison
| Schedule | Type | Rate | Best For |
|---|---|---|---|
| Standard Choice Offer (SCO) | commercial | $0.5290/Ccf ($5.29/Mcf) for June 2026 (NYMEX $3.04 + $2.25 adjustment) | Default sales-service customers who do not shop for a marketer |
| SGS / SGTS | commercial | Customer charge + volumetric delivery charge (see PUCO Tariff No. 2) | Smaller commercial accounts |
| GS / GTS | commercial | Customer charge + volumetric delivery charge (see PUCO Tariff No. 2) | Larger commercial accounts |
| Transportation Service (TS) | industrial | Delivery charge per tariff; commodity priced by supplier contract | Industrial and large C&I sites that procure their own gas |
Market Overview
Ohio's natural gas supply is deregulated. Columbia Gas of Ohio is the regulated distribution (delivery) utility; the gas commodity can be bought from competitive CHOICE marketers, or supplied via the default Standard Choice Offer (SCO) priced monthly at NYMEX + a PUCO-auctioned Retail Price Adjustment. Larger C&I customers may take Transportation Service and procure their own gas.
Need to pull your actual usage data to compare rates? See the Columbia Gas of Ohio Data Access Guide →
Community Choice Aggregation (CCA) Options
Ohio municipalities and counties may aggregate residents/businesses to negotiate group gas supply rates, subject to local opt-in/opt-out.
Current Rate Schedules
As a deregulated gas distributor, Columbia Gas bills for delivery (distribution) under PUCO Tariff No. 2, plus a gas commodity charge that is either the Standard Choice Offer (SCO) price or a competitive CHOICE supplier rate. For June 2026, the SCO price is $0.5290 per Ccf ($5.29 per Mcf), calculated as the NYMEX month-end settlement price of $3.04/Mcf plus the PUCO-auctioned Retail Price Adjustment of $2.25/Mcf. Distribution rate components (monthly customer charge and delivery riders) are set in the tariff; C&I customers should consult the tariff book for the specific Small General Service (SGS/SGTS) and General Service (GS/GTS) delivery charges applicable to their volume.
Effective: May 29, 2026 · Full Tariff Book →
| Schedule | Type | Applicability | Structure | Rate |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Standard Choice Offer (SCO) - Gas Commodity | commercial | Default gas supply for sales-service customers who have not selected a CHOICE marketer. | Monthly volumetric price = NYMEX month-end settlement + Retail Price Adjustment. June 2026: $0.5290/Ccf ($5.29/Mcf), comprising $3.04/Mcf NYMEX + $2.25/Mcf adjustment. | — |
| Small General Service / Small General Transportation Service (SGS/SGTS) | commercial | Smaller commercial customers below the volumetric breakpoint (Columbia proposed raising this from 300 to 600 Mcf/year). | Monthly fixed customer charge plus volumetric distribution (delivery) charge per Ccf, plus applicable riders. Specific delivery rates are set in PUCO Tariff No. 2 - see the tariff book. | — |
| General Service / General Transportation Service (GS/GTS) | commercial | Larger commercial customers above the SGS volumetric breakpoint. | Monthly fixed customer charge plus volumetric distribution charge per Ccf, plus riders. Transportation Service variants apply where the customer arranges its own gas supply. Specific rates are in PUCO Tariff No. 2. | — |
| Transportation Service (TS) | industrial | All C&I customers; customers under ~6,000 Mcf/year require standby service. Requires a service agreement. | Distribution/delivery charges per the tariff; the customer (or its supplier) procures gas and submits daily nominations via the Aviator system. Commodity cost is set by the supplier contract, not the utility. | — |
Rate Recommendations by Use Case
Multi-site commercial portfolio
Operators of several Ohio facilities should consolidate monthly usage and benchmark sites, then competitively shop gas supply.
Delivery charges are regulated, so the commodity is the lever; portfolio-wide data supports stronger supplier RFPs.
- Pull monthly usage from MyAccount or via Nectar's API for all accounts
- Compare SCO vs. CHOICE fixed offers on the PUCO Apples to Apples chart
- Verify each account's SGS vs GS rate-class placement
Large industrial / high steady load
High-volume industrial sites should evaluate Transportation Service to self-supply gas and nominate via Aviator.
Self-supply avoids the SCO retail adjustment margin and can secure lower commodity pricing for large, predictable load.
- Confirm firm vs standby requirements (generally firm above ~6,000 Mcf/year)
- Execute a Transportation Service agreement and set up Aviator nominations
- Model daily nomination/balancing obligations before switching
Budget-sensitive commercial customer
Customers prioritizing predictable bills should consider a fixed-price CHOICE offer instead of the monthly-floating SCO.
The SCO floats monthly with NYMEX (June 2026 rose ~10% month-over-month); a fixed CHOICE rate provides budget certainty.
- Compare term and price on the PUCO Apples to Apples chart
- Watch for cancellation fees and variable-rate rollovers
- Re-shop before contract expiration
Energy consultant / third-party data access
Consultants needing client gas data should use the Release Form or Nectar's API, since no utility API or Green Button exists.
Columbia Gas offers only monthly data via portal, Release Form, or Nectar's API - plan workflows around monthly granularity.
- Have the client sign the Release Form (https://www.columbiagasohio.com/release)
- Or use Nectar's API to retrieve billing data programmatically — see docs.nectarclimate.com
- Do not expect interval data - AMR provides monthly reads only
Historical Rate Trends
The SCO gas commodity price fluctuates monthly with NYMEX. For June 2026 the SCO is $0.5290/Ccf, up $0.0481 versus the prior month but down $0.1164 versus a year earlier. The Retail Price Adjustment component ($2.25/Mcf) was reset by the January 2026 PUCO auction for the April 2026-March 2027 supply period.
June 1, 2026
June 2026 SCO set at $0.5290/Ccf, up $0.0481 from the prior month (NYMEX $3.04/Mcf + $2.25/Mcf adjustment).
+10.0%April 1, 2026
New Retail Price Adjustment of $2.25/Mcf took effect (January 2026 PUCO auction) for the April 2026-March 2027 SCO supply period.
N/AOverall trend: Commodity prices remain volatile month-to-month; the year-over-year SCO is lower in June 2026 than June 2025, but a new rate case is increasing distribution charges.
Next expected change: SCO commodity resets monthly with NYMEX; the next Retail Price Adjustment auction occurs in early 2027 for the April 2027-March 2028 period. Distribution rate-case outcomes are pending before PUCO.
Cost Optimization Strategies
Because Ohio gas supply is deregulated, the main lever for C&I cost control is the gas commodity: comparing the default SCO against competitive CHOICE marketer offers and, for larger sites, taking Transportation Service to self-supply. Delivery charges are regulated and largely fixed, but volume management and rate-class placement still matter.
Shop the gas commodity vs. SCO
For: All C&I sales-service customers
Compare the monthly SCO price ($5.29/Mcf in June 2026) against fixed-price CHOICE marketer offers on the PUCO Apples to Apples chart to lock in budget certainty or capture savings.
Evaluate Transportation Service for large volumes
For: Large C&I / industrial sites (generally >6,000 Mcf/year for firm service)
Larger C&I sites can take Transportation Service, procure gas directly (or via a supplier), and nominate through Aviator - often the lowest-cost commodity path for high, steady load.
Confirm correct rate class (SGS vs GS)
For: Commercial accounts near the volumetric breakpoint
With the SGS/GS volumetric breakpoint proposed to move from 300 to 600 Mcf/year, verify your account is on the most economical delivery class for your annual volume.
Centralize usage data for benchmarking
For: Multi-site C&I portfolios
Use the MyAccount portal or Nectar's API (docs.nectarclimate.com) to pull monthly usage across sites for benchmarking and to support supplier RFPs.
To implement these strategies, you need your 15-minute interval data. Learn how to download Columbia Gas of Ohio interval data →
Frequently Asked Questions
Does Columbia Gas of Ohio offer Green Button or an interval-data API for commercial customers?▾
No. Columbia Gas uses Automated Meter Reading (AMR), which provides monthly reads only. There is no Green Button Download, no Green Button Connect My Data, and no public customer-data API. C&I customers access monthly usage through the MyAccount portal, a signed Release Form for third parties, or via Nectar, which provides API access to this utility's billing data — see docs.nectarclimate.com.
How are commercial gas supply rates set in Ohio?▾
Ohio gas supply is deregulated. Distribution (delivery) charges are regulated under PUCO Tariff No. 2, while the gas commodity is competitive. Customers can take the default Standard Choice Offer (SCO) - $0.5290/Ccf ($5.29/Mcf) in June 2026, equal to NYMEX $3.04/Mcf plus a $2.25/Mcf Retail Price Adjustment - or shop a CHOICE marketer, or self-supply under Transportation Service.
What is the difference between SGS/SGTS and GS/GTS rate classes?▾
Both are commercial delivery rate classes distinguished by annual volume. Small General Service (SGS/SGTS) applies below the volumetric breakpoint, and General Service (GS/GTS) applies above it. Columbia proposed raising that breakpoint from 300 Mcf/year to 600 Mcf/year. The 'T' variants apply to customers taking Transportation Service. Specific delivery charges are in PUCO Tariff No. 2.
Can a large industrial customer buy its own gas supply?▾
Yes. Through Transportation Service (TS), C&I customers - generally firm service above ~6,000 Mcf/year, with standby for smaller volumes - procure their own gas (directly or via a supplier) and submit daily nominations via the Aviator system, paying Columbia Gas only regulated delivery charges plus their supplier's commodity cost.
Does Columbia Gas of Ohio support ANSI X12 EDI for supplier data exchange?▾
No. Columbia Gas explicitly states it does not use ANSI X12 EDI; instead it uses a proprietary flat-file data-exchange format (Ohio Choice File Layout, Bill Message File Layout, etc.) over its encrypted File Exchange (EFTP) system, with gas nominations handled through the Aviator system.
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