Most customers, by default, receive natural gas through the Standard Choice Offer (SCO). The SCO price is set by a competitive auction, overseen by the Public Utilities Commission of Ohio (PUCO), and is adjusted monthly based on natural gas market prices. Here’s what you need to know about the SCO:
- You'll see the name of a gas supplier on your bill
- Each SCO supplier charges the same SCO price for natural gas
- We deliver your natural gas, and your monthly bill will come from us
- You'll be charged Ohio sales tax on your natural gas purchases (like CHOICE® customers)
- The annual auction conducted by the PUCO selected the following SCO suppliers for April 2025 through March 2026: AEP Energy Inc., Direct Energy Services, LLC, Snyder Brothers Energy Marketing, LLC, Interstate Gas Supply, LLC, SouthStar Energy Services LLC, Spire Marketing Inc., and United Energy Trading, LLC.
- Customers can compare the SCO price with offers from CHOICE® program marketers using the Apples to Apples chart provided by the Public Utilities Commission of Ohio (PUCO)
Your monthly SCO rate = the natural gas market price + a retail price adjustment. The Market Price is the month-end natural gas settlement price on the New York Mercantile Exchange (NYMEX). The Retail Price Adjustment is determined by an annual auction conducted by the PUCO. The Retail Price Adjustment represents the supplier’s non-gas costs of doing business. While the Market Price is expressed in Mcf (1,000 cubic feet of gas), we bill in Ccf (100 cubic feet) and express the SCO price in Ccf.
Standard Choice Offer (SCO)
Price
Per Ccf (100 cubic feet)May 2025
$0.6420
Down $0.078 vs. Last Month
Up $0.3146 vs. Last Year
Estimated Bill
May 2025
$87.57
Up $21.19 from $66.38 vs Last Year
Based on estimated gas usage during the billing month by an average residential customer. Includes sales tax, which varies by county (estimate uses 7.5% rate). Also includes Gross Receipts Tax of 4.987% on the non-gas portion of the bill.
Standard Choice Offer Calculation
NYMEX Market Price
Per Mcf
$3.1700
+
Retail Price Adjustment
Per Mcf
$3.25
=
SCO Price
Per Mcf
$6.420
Per Ccf
$0.6420
The SCO (Standard Choice Offer) price equals the NYMEX month-end settlement price plus the Retail Price Adjustment, set by the Public Utilities Commission of Ohio. The Retail Price Adjustment is based on the results of a February 2025 auction, which selected the following SCO suppliers for April 2025 through March 2026: AEP Energy Services; Direct Energy Services, LLC; Snyder Brothers Energy Marketing, LLC; Southstar Energy Services, LLC; Spire Marketing; United Energy Trading, LLC; IGS - Interstate Gas Supply.
Market prices are expressed in Mcf (1,000 cubic feet of gas). Columbia bills in Ccf (100 cubic feet), and the SCO price is expressed in Ccf.