City of Columbia issued the following announcement on July 20.
Ameren Illinois has released its new residential electric rate for customers in the Columbia area through May 2019. Some customers may have noticed Ameren’s summer rate (June 2018-September 2018) of $0.0460 per kWh was lower than the City’s electric aggregation rate with Homefield Energy of $0.0570 per kWh. Since Ameren’s summer rate is for only four months, many residents chose to stay with Homefield Energy for the purpose of price stability. However, Ameren has announced a non-summer rate (October 2018-May 2019) of $0.0515 per kWh.
Residents who are currently participants of the City’s electric aggregation program with Homefield Energy will see their rate decrease from $0.0570 per kWh to $0.05596 per kWh in June 2019. Despite this rate decrease, the aggregation rate with Homefield Energy will be higher than Ameren’s default through May 2019. Therefore, the City of Columbia is educating residents about their options.
“The City established the electric aggregation program to save money for our residents. When the existing municipal electric aggregation contract was signed in fall of 2017, Ameren’s rate was $0.0617 per kW,” stated Mayor Kevin Hutchinson. “We felt it was important to let our residents know they have the choice to opt out of the aggregation program in order to take advantage of lower rates from Ameren or other suppliers. We encourage residents to do their own research to determine what is best for them.”
The City of Columbia’s electric aggregation rate is currently higher than Ameren’s default rate. However, Ameren may increase their rates at any time if they file with the ICC and demonstrate that its costs have changed. While the municipal aggregation rate is currently higher, it delivers price stability and is expected to provide savings over the contract term.
“Since the program’s inception in 2012, it has saved our residents a considerable amount of money,” said Mayor Hutchinson. “Ever since the City implemented this program, we have always educated residents that it is their choice to participate in the program. Now is the time when residents must evaluate their decision more closely.”
Participation in the City’s electric aggregation program does not requires residents to sign a contract and they will not be contacted by a salesperson. If you are contacted by an electric supply marketer that is not Homefield Energy, please be aware that is not part of the City’s electric aggregation program.
If residents choose to opt out of the City’s electric aggregation program and return to the Ameren default rate or select a third-party supplier, they must contact Homefield Energy at 866.694.1262 from 7:00 a.m. to 7:00 p.m. Monday-Friday or visit https://www.dynegy.com/homefield/contact-us and use the online form to contact customer service. It will be helpful for you to provide your Ameren account number.
Customers who choose to opt out of the aggregation program are unable to re-enroll in the program for 12 months.
The City of Columbia’s electric aggregation contract includes over 110 municipalities comprised of over 850,000 residents. Illinois law allows municipalities and counties to negotiate the purchase price of electric supply on behalf of residential and small business customers within their borders.
If you are a new residential electric customer with Ameren, or uncertain if you are enrolled in the City of Columbia’s electric aggregation program, please contact Homefield Energy at 866.694.1262.
For more information about the municipal electric aggregation program, please visit http://www.homefieldenergy.com/residential/municipal-aggregation/faq-residential-municipal.php.
Original source can be found here.
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