Happy Tuesday! 🔌 We're talking watts, wallets and whether switching energy suppliers is worth the brainpower.

💰 Sounds like: "Bills,Bills,Bills" by Destiny's Child.

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Today’s newsletter is 996 words — a 4-minute read. We're keeping it current.

Residents fed up with their electric bills can shop around for another supplier — but one Ohio energy expert says the savings may not be worth the hassle.

Why it matters: Ohio's deregulated electricity market gives consumers choices, but a lower advertised rate doesn't necessarily mean a meaningfully lower bill.

The big picture: Duke Energy Ohio is Cincinnati's primary electric utility, but customers don't have to buy their electricity from Duke.

• A change doesn't mean you're breaking up with Duke — it would still deliver your electricity, maintain the wires and respond to outages.
• Duke says electricity generation makes up just under 60% of a typical residential electric bill for customers on its standard offer. That's the portion customers can shop around for.

What they're saying: Noah Dormady, an Ohio State University associate professor and energy economist, tells Axios he wouldn't switch suppliers unless he could save at least 15% compared with Duke's standard offer.

• Anything less, he said, isn't worth the hassle of switching and tracking when the deal expires.

His shopping rules: Look for fixed rates, contracts lasting at least eight months and no monthly or early termination fees.

• Yes, but: Dormady says today's market offers "almost no savings available to consumers."
• If customers agree, they can return to Duke's standard offer without a fee from Duke, though their previous supplier may charge a penalty.

Zoom in: Cincinnati residents have another option through the city's municipal aggregation program.

• The city's October electricity supply rate is 10.44 cents per kWh, compared with 10.49 cents for a typical Duke customer. That's a savings of just 50 cents per 1,000 kWh.
• Molly Robertshaw, the city's sustainability manager, says aggregation has saved participants nearly 13% since 2019 compared with Duke's standard offer.

Between the lines: Reducing consumption can help offset higher costs.

💡 How to save: Duke recommends adjusting your thermostat, sealing drafts and replacing HVAC filters.

• Customers can also monitor usage online and sign up for high-bill alerts.

💰 Need help paying? Duke offers budget billing, flexible due dates and payment plans, plus financial assistance for eligible households.

The bottom line: Using less energy and finding a payment plan that works often makes the biggest difference.

Blink may be best known for its dazzling lights and projections, but some of its most colorful creations stay after the festival ends.

By the numbers: This year's festival added more than 20 murals, including 10 around Findlay Market and 11 in Covington, as part of its Market Walls and Madison Walls collections.

• Nearly 80 murals were created during Blink's first four editions, according to executive director Leslie Mooney.
• The major concentration is up near the fast-developing Market District in Over-the-Rhine.

What they're saying: Mooney calls the murals a "too well-kept and unintentional secret" of Blink, which was designed to be a mural festival from the beginning.

• "Those are the leave-behinds," she tells Axios. "Those are the things that last forever."

The big picture: This year's artists included Argentine duo Medianeras, Spanish wildlife-inspired muralist Dulk and Australian graffiti artist Sofles.

• Their work adds to a regional collection that includes more than 400 murals created by 1001 Colors, formerly ArtWorks.
• Cincinnati ranked second nationally for street art in USA Today's 2026 10Best Readers' Choice Awards, behind Philadelphia.

Zoom in: Greater Cincinnati artist Chase Melendez spent 12- to 13-hour days painting a colorful geometric mural at Covington's future City Hall building, navigating an active construction site.

• He didn't finish until midway through the festival, and his mural wasn't part of the projection displays.
• But that's OK, Melendez says. He's already looking ahead to the completed courtyard and future iterations of Blink.

The lasting impression: Melendez says public art helps imbue neighborhoods with a distinct identity.

• "The lights go away, projection goes away, and then we have these little artifacts that are around the city that you can't find anywhere else."

🛒 Kroger plans to cut about 3,000 corporate jobs over the next three years, saying it will invest in its frontline workers. (Biz Courier)

Mason's Lindner Center of Hope denies online rumors that Texas U.S. Senate candidate James Talarico (D) received treatment at the mental health facility. (X)

• Talarico attributed his campaign absence to the flu, adding he "has never been to Ohio."

🎤 Usher and Chris Brown's Oct. 24 concert at Paycor is canceled over touring party and crew wellbeing concerns. Refunds will be issued automatically. (WCPO)

Ohio drivers are already seeing results of the state's gas tax holiday — but there are bigger factors that affect the price at your gas pump.

Why it matters: Prices may still fluctuate even with the tax break in place, gas price expert Patrick De Haan warns.

By the numbers: Ohioans normally pay 38.5 cents per gallon of gas to fund infrastructure work.

• Cincinnati-area gas was $3.89 on average as of yesterday, about a quarter cheaper than a month ago, per AAA data.

What they're saying: De Haan, head of petroleum analysis at GasBuddy, told Axios that much of the state's tax holiday is already reaching drivers.

Yes, but: Ohio prices were already falling before the holiday. De Haan says a refinery outage that was repaired also helped push prices lower.

• And prices have risen again in recent days.

Reality check: De Haan warns against expecting prices to keep falling in a straight line.

• "The gas tax holiday does not freeze changes in the world."

😅 Swilley is now forced to acknowledge her husband is right about the thermostat.

😳 Casey has his bills on autopay to avoid sticker shock. That's bad, right?

⚡ Tyler Buchanan is in charge of edits.