Ohio affordability advocates said American Electric Power is taking in record profits as residents face rising costs and an increasing number of disconnections.

The company recently hosted its 2026 first quarter earnings conference call and announced a more than $36 million compensation package for the company’s CEO.

Morgan Harper, executive director of the advocacy group Columbus Stand Up, said many Ohio residents are struggling to keep up with utility bills reaching as high as $800 a month. She noted people on fixed incomes are simply unable to keep up with the higher rates.

"We want to make sure people are aware of it so that ultimately, they start to engage and tell the folks in charge that we're not going to take this anymore," Harper stressed. "They've got to do something to rein in utility profits.

According to new Pew Research Center poll results released this month, the majority of Americans have seen their home energy costs go up over the last few years and more than 60% said it is because utility companies want to make more money.

Morgan added electricity prices in central Ohio have risen at an unsustainable rate, outpacing inflation by an estimated 40%. She noted American Electric Power, like most investor-owned monopoly utilities across the country, must make a case before the state’s regulatory agency when it wants to raise rates.

"You have to wonder who's looking out for ratepayers here?" Morgan asked. "The Public Utility Commission of Ohio is not just supposed to be granting blank checks to AEP."

American Electric Power said rate increases are needed to upgrade infrastructure, modernize the grid, incorporate new energy sources and address increasing demand from data centers.

Reporting by Ohio News Connection in association with Media in the Public Interest and funded in part by the George Gund Foundation.

Source: Public News Service