Renter Guides · Cleveland, OH

Cleveland Public Power vs The Illuminating Company — which & how to start

Cleveland has two separate electric utilities: Cleveland Public Power (CPP), a city-owned utility, and The Illuminating Company, an investor-owned FirstEnergy utility. Which one serves a given address depends on location, not renter choice, so confirm your provider before move-in and contact that company directly to activate service ahead of your lease start date.

Which electric company serves my Cleveland rental — CPP or The Illuminating Company?

Cleveland is one of the few U.S. cities served by two separate electric utilities operating side by side within the same city limits. Cleveland Public Power (CPP) is a division of the City of Cleveland's Department of Public Utilities, while The Illuminating Company is an investor-owned utility that is part of FirstEnergy. Which one actually serves a specific rental address depends entirely on its location within the city's service boundaries — it isn't something a renter gets to pick, and it can change block to block.

Before your move-in date, ask the property manager which utility currently bills the unit, check the meter for a company name, or call both providers with the exact street address to confirm. If you're touring a home we work with, our team can tell you which electric utility serves that specific address — reach out and ask before you sign.

How are CPP and The Illuminating Company actually different?

The main difference is ownership structure, not necessarily day-to-day service quality. CPP is municipally owned, run as a city utility alongside Cleveland Water and the city's Water Pollution Control division. The Illuminating Company is investor-owned, operating as one utility within the larger FirstEnergy group that serves large parts of Ohio and several neighboring states.

How do I start electric service before moving into a Cleveland rental?

Contact whichever provider serves the address — CPP or The Illuminating Company — several days before your move-in date, not on the day itself. Most rentals require the account to be active in the tenant's name from the first day of the lease, so you'll typically need the service address, your move-in date, and a form of identification to open a new account.

Neither utility publishes a guaranteed turnaround time for opening a new residential account, so there is no dependable number to plan around. Call whichever provider serves your address, ask what they need from you and how long they expect your specific request to take, and make that call several business days before the lease begins so there is room if identification or a deposit is required.

Does the electric provider affect what a Cleveland rental costs to run?

Not in a way that should drive a housing search on its own. Residential rates at both utilities change over time and we don't publish a comparison here — ask each provider for its current rate if you want to compare them. In practice a home's overall condition, size, and heating setup usually matter more to a monthly budget than which specific electric utility serves it. Natural gas heat is a separate bill altogether, mostly through Enbridge Gas Ohio — see our guide to average winter heating costs for a Cleveland rental for that side of the budget.

For a full rundown of every utility a Cleveland renter typically has to set up — electric, gas, and water — see our Cleveland utilities setup guide. We work with 90+ rental homes across Greater Cleveland, concentrated in neighborhoods like Slavic Village, Collinwood, Glenville, and Buckeye-Shaker, and every home we work with accepts Housing Choice Vouchers — see what's currently available.

Rent Finder Cleveland is an equal housing opportunity provider and does business in accordance with the Fair Housing Act. Availability, pricing, and terms are subject to change. Rent Finder Cleveland is not a property manager, landlord, or broker — the homes we list are owned and managed by third parties.