TL;DR
- Service area: Hamilton, Butler, Warren, Clermont, Brown, and Adams counties — Cincinnati + southwest Ohio for both electric and natural gas.
- Primary trade alignment: electrical service, EV chargers, and panel upgrades — pair with an OCILB-licensed electrician.
- Key rebate programs: My Home Energy Report, EV charger rebates (Level 2 residential + commercial), smart-thermostat rebates, HVAC tune-up incentives.
- Emergency line: 1-800-543-5599 (24/7) — outages, downed lines, and gas-leak reports route through the same number.
- Outage map: outagemap.duke-energy.com — live restoration ETAs by neighborhood.
Who they serve
Duke Energy Ohio is the regulated electric and natural-gas utility for the Cincinnati metro and the five surrounding counties. It is regulated by PUCO (Public Utilities Commission of Ohio). The dual-fuel footprint is unusual — most Ohio metros are split, with electric handled by FirstEnergy or AEP Ohio and gas handled by Columbia Gas of Ohio. For homeowners in the Cincinnati area, both bills come from Duke.
Primary metros and cities: Cincinnati, West Chester, Mason, Middletown, Hamilton, Lebanon, Loveland, Milford, Batavia, Georgetown.
Counties served: Hamilton, Butler, Warren, Clermont, Brown, Adams.
Major rebate programs (2026)
Duke Energy Ohio's residential rebate portfolio leans toward electrification incentives — EV chargers, smart thermostats, demand-response enrollment, and HVAC tune-ups. Dollar amounts change each program year. Verify the current band on Duke's own program page before signing any contract.
- EV charger rebates. Recent program years offered residential Level 2 charger rebates in the $250–$500 range for qualifying smart chargers, plus commercial fleet-charging incentives that scale by port count. Enrollment in Duke's load-management program may be required.
- Smart-thermostat rebates. Typical instant or mail-in rebates of $50–$100 for qualifying Nest, ecobee, and Honeywell smart thermostats. Some program years require enrollment in Duke's summer demand-response program.
- HVAC tune-up rebates. Periodic rebates of $25–$50 for a qualifying spring AC tune-up performed by an authorized contractor. Pair with the spring window in the ProFix seasonal calendar.
- My Home Energy Report. Free behavioral-feedback program — periodic mailed or emailed usage report comparing your home to similar nearby homes, with personalized rebate and efficiency-upgrade highlights. No application required; Duke enrolls qualifying customers.
- Time-of-use rate plans. Optional rate structures that reward overnight EV charging and off-peak appliance use. Verify the rate structure and any minimum-commitment terms before opting in.
When to call a contractor — not the utility
Duke Energy Ohio runs the meter, the service drop, and the outage response. Everything past the meter is your contractor's job. The biggest source of confusion in Cincinnati is the EV-charger install — the rebate is from Duke, but the actual circuit install and panel work is contractor work that requires a city or county electrical permit.
The utility owns this
- Outage response, downed-line make-safe, and restoration.
- Service drop from the pole or transformer to your meter.
- Meter installation, replacement, and smart-meter retrofit.
- Service-upgrade coordination (200A → 320A, etc.).
- Gas-leak emergency response for the dual-fuel footprint.
- Rebate processing and My Home Energy Report enrollment.
Hire a licensed contractor for this
- EV-charger circuit, NEMA 14-50 outlet, hardwired Level 2 charger — OCILB electrician. See the electrician buyer's guide.
- Panel upgrade, sub-panel install, branch-circuit work, GFCI/AFCI retrofits.
- Gas furnace, water heater, range, or dryer install — OCILB HVAC or plumbing license depending on scope.
- Generator transfer switch and whole-house generator install.
- Service-mast repair or replacement on the customer side of the meter.
- Permit-pulled work — the utility does not pull electrical or mechanical permits.
Emergency + outage protocol
The Duke Energy Ohio emergency line is 1-800-543-5599 (24/7). The same number handles power outages, downed lines, and gas-leak reports for the dual-fuel footprint.
- For a downed line: stay at least 35 feet away, do not touch anything in contact with the line (including a fence, vehicle, or puddle), call 911, and call Duke at 1-800-543-5599.
- For a sustained outage: check the outage map at outagemap.duke-energy.com and report your address if it does not show. Restoration ETAs are posted by neighborhood.
- For a gas smell: leave the building, do not operate any electronics, call 911 if urgent, then call Duke at 1-800-543-5599 from outside. The utility's gas-leak response is free.
- After restoration: if your home has damage from the outage event (line strike, transformer hit, surge), document it for an insurance claim and have an OCILB-licensed electrician inspect the panel before re-energizing sensitive equipment.
Smart home + new construction
Duke Energy Ohio coordinates the utility-side work for new construction, service upgrades, and major load additions. The contractor handles the customer-side install and the permit. The two most common smart-home coordination points are EV chargers and whole-house generators.
- Smart-meter retrofit. Duke operates AMI smart meters across most of the Ohio footprint. Meter replacement is utility-scheduled — no homeowner-initiated retrofit.
- EV charger inspection. The contractor pulls the city or county electrical permit, the inspector signs off, and Duke may coordinate the meter upgrade if the load increase exceeds existing service capacity. The rebate paperwork is filed after the inspection passes.
- Service upgrade for new EVs + heat pumps + induction. Many older Cincinnati homes were built with 100A service; modern electrification upgrades typically require 200A or even 320A. The contractor handles the customer-side panel and service mast; Duke handles the utility-side drop, meter, and any transformer coordination.
- Whole-house generator. A natural-gas generator may need both a meter-load re-evaluation and a transfer-switch install. The transfer switch is electrician + permit work; the gas-line tie-in is OCILB plumbing-licensed work; Duke coordinates the gas meter capacity.
Where ProFix can help
Duke Energy Ohio handles the meter and the outage. ProFix handles the contractor side — verified OCILB-licensed electricians for EV chargers, panel upgrades, and the rest of the customer-side electrical work.
- Electrician directory — OCILB-licensed electricians serving Cincinnati + southwest Ohio counties.
- How to choose an Ohio electrician — verifying OCILB licensing, EV-charger experience, and permit history.
- HVAC directory — for the gas-furnace and AC-tune-up rebate pairings.
- Permit offices — Hamilton + Butler + Warren county building departments for the EV-charger permit.
- Emergency contacts hub — universal Ohio safety numbers + outage protocol.
FAQ
Does Duke Energy Ohio cover gas service or just electric?
Both, in the same Cincinnati/southwest Ohio footprint. Duke Energy Ohio is the regulated electric utility for Hamilton, Butler, Warren, Clermont, Brown, and Adams counties, and is also the natural-gas distributor for that same area. Most of the rest of Ohio is split — Columbia Gas of Ohio for gas in central + northern Ohio, FirstEnergy or AEP Ohio for electric in those regions. The Cincinnati metro is unusual in having one utility for both fuels.
What number do I call for a power outage in Cincinnati?
Duke Energy Ohio: 1-800-543-5599 (24/7). The same number handles downed lines, sustained outages, and gas-leak emergencies, with text-based outage reporting available at the utility's site. If a power line is down, stay at least 35 feet away, treat it as live, and call 911 plus Duke Energy immediately. The outage map is at outagemap.duke-energy.com.
What EV-charger rebates does Duke Energy Ohio offer?
Duke Energy Ohio runs one of the more aggressive EV-charging incentive portfolios among Ohio utilities. Recent program years offered rebates for residential Level 2 chargers (with smart-charger or load-management eligibility requirements), commercial fleet-charging incentives, and time-of-use rate plans that reward overnight charging. Exact dollar amounts and eligibility change each program year — verify at the utility's EV page before purchase or install. For the actual charger install you still need an OCILB-licensed electrician; Duke does not perform residential electrical work.
What is the My Home Energy Report?
The My Home Energy Report is Duke Energy's residential behavioral-feedback program. Qualifying customers receive periodic mailed or emailed reports comparing their usage to similar nearby homes, with personalized efficiency recommendations and rebate eligibility highlights. There is no application — Duke enrolls qualifying customers automatically and the report is free.
Does Duke Energy Ohio install or replace my panel or charger?
No. Duke Energy owns the service drop, meter, and equipment up to the meter. Everything past the meter — panel, branch circuits, EV-charger circuit, sub-panels, generator transfer switches — is customer-side and must be installed by an OCILB-licensed electrician. The utility coordinates the meter base, service-drop sizing, and any required service upgrade, but the electrician handles the actual install and the local building department handles the permit and inspection.
Does Duke Energy Ohio offer smart-thermostat rebates?
Yes. Duke Energy Ohio's smart-thermostat program typically offers instant or post-purchase rebates of $50–$100 for qualifying Nest, ecobee, and Honeywell models. Some program years bundle the thermostat with enrollment in Duke's demand-response program (the utility can briefly adjust the setpoint during peak summer events, with override available). Verify the current rebate and any DR enrollment trade-offs at Duke's thermostat-rebate page.
Sources
Verify rebate amounts and program rules at Duke's own pages before committing — they change every program year. Primary references: Duke Energy Ohio, Duke outage map, Duke natural-gas safety, PUCO, Ohio Revised Code Chapter 4740 (OCILB), ENERGY STAR rebate finder, and the ProFix data sources index.
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