Following the passage of a November 2012 voter Referendum, in March 2013 City Council passed an Ordinance creating the City’s “opt-out” Municipal Electric Aggregation Program. Under the Program, the City of West Chicago solicits bids and contracts with alternate retail suppliers to procure lower cost power supply for resident and small commercial retail accountswithin the City. Since inception, the program brought substantial savings to program participants.
In July 2018, the City again sought competitive bids and entered into a contract with Constellation NewEnergy, Inc. for the supply of electricity at 7.64¢ per kWh for the period of October 2018 into October 2019. The City recently again sought competitive bids to extend the program at the expiration of the current term; however, no bids received were below the ComEd rate to compare, which is now 7.1¢ per kWh. With no achievable savings at this time, the City has elected to suspendits Municipal Electric Aggregation Program and will seek bids again next year.
Residents who are currently enrolled in the City’s Aggregation Program need do nothing as they will be automatically switched back to ComEd supply service at their October meter read date. Aggregation program participants will receive a notice from ComEd titled “Electric Supplier Choice – Confirmation of Drop” the week of September 23, 2019.
FRIENDLY REMINDERS:• With the suspension of the City’s Municipal Electric Aggregation Program, residents will likely receive increased solicitations from electric suppliers. When considering any solicitation, residents are advised to avoid variable rates thatmay have no upward cap, termination fees, and any added monthly or miscellaneous fees.• A recent Illinois Commerce Commission study reported that Illinois residents who engage in an individual supplier contract (i.e., not a Municipal Electric Aggregation Program) paid an average 24% above the ComEd rate. • NEVER PROVIDE YOUR COMED ACCOUNT NUMBER TO A SOLICITOR unless you have contacted them directly to enroll and you have reviewed all terms and conditions. Avoid supposed deadlines associated with signing up for a program. • NO SOLICITOR IS ASSOCIATED WITH THE CITY. If a solicitor claims otherwise, take their information and report to the ICC at http://www.icc.illinois.gov/consumer/complaint. For more information about electric rates, visit www.PlugInIllinois.org.
See template below of the notice to be mailed from ComEd titled: “Electric Supplier Choice—Confirmation of Drop”:
