A central Ohio lawmaker is trying a second time to pass rules that would limit the ability of unregulated "submeter" companies to mark up the costs of utilities in certain apartments and condominiums.

A central Ohio lawmaker is trying a second time to pass rules that would limit the ability of unregulated "submeter" companies to mark up the costs of utilities in certain apartments and condominiums.

Rep. Mike Duffey, R-Worthington, introduced a bill this week that says consumers would pay no more than the prices charged by regulated utilities. He sponsored another bill on the topic two years ago, one of several competing proposals, none of which passed.

Submeter companies, such as Nationwide Energy Partners and American Power & Light, act as middlemen, buy electricity and water from regulated companies and then resell them to residents in multifamily housing complexes.

"I still care about the issue," Duffey said. "Consumers are still unprotected and this is a completely unregulated area. This is the wild, wild west."

The new proposal says the Public Utilities Commission of Ohio would have a year to determine specific rules for these companies, based on guidelines in the bill. If, for some reason, the commission does not come up with rules in that time frame, then utility reselling would be banned. Duffey included the deadline to encourage the commission to move quickly.

Not everyone likes the plan."

>> Shocking Cost: The Dispatch's investigation into unregulated utility submetering

The Dispatch has reported on submeter companies since 2013, showing that some consumers are paying up to 40 percent more for electricity than they would under regulated prices. The practices are most common in large apartment complexes in central Ohio. Nationwide Energy says it has changed some of its practices and that its consumers are paying the same rates as they would from a regulated utility.

Lawmakers and consumer advocates have worked on a number of fronts to set limits on markups or even ban markups, efforts that have produced no results. There are two pending complaints before the PUCO, a proposed class-action lawsuit under way in Franklin County Common Pleas Court, and several attempts to pass legislation.

Ohio Consumers' Counsel Bruce Weston has been one of the leading supporters of new rules. His office filed one of the PUCO complaints, and he supports this new bill.

"There is a loophole in Ohio law that is allowing resellers to operate without the usual safeguards that exist for customers buying services directly from utilities," Weston said in a statement Tuesday. "We support Rep. Duffey�s new legislation ... that would protect Ohioans by closing that loophole."

dgearino@dispatch.com

@dangearino