How it works

The Co-op approach combines the gas accounts of all its members into one group, secures wholesale supplies and services and then passes those supplies and services to the members in a not-for-profit fashion. This allows the total group to appear as one large customer, and achieve the bargaining power that goes along with it. The Co-op also works to minimize your total fuel costs. This includes the combination of the supplier costs, the local utility costs and the management costs.

All the ads you have seen from gas brokers or marketers illustrate the difference of buying from them versus our Co-op. Marketers or brokers have the money to spend on expensive ads since they have a different incentive than our cooperative - profit. A marketer or broker buys gas at the lowest price it can obtain and resells the gas at the highest price the market will bear. They have a different incentive than a Co-op whose mission is to provide the lowest cost of natural gas to its members.

Energy Cooperative of Ohio benefits

1. "Consumer first" philosophy
2. Energy management services
3. Lower costs through volume aggregation
4. Shared ownership and profit reallocation
5. Group buying power
6. A focus on member service and satisfaction
7. Local production aggregation
8. Toll-free customer service number
9. Intrastate and interstate pipeline expertise
10. Financially secure cooperative
11. Simple enrollment
12. Variety of billing and pricing options