Village Sets Dates for Electrical Aggregation Public Hearings

From the website:

Public hearings regarding the Plan of Governance (POG) for the Village's Electrical Aggregation Program will be conducted during the Village Council Meetings at 7:00 P.M. on Tuesday, May 1 and Tuesday May 15, 2012 in the Council Chambers at Village Hall.

The Village is required by the Illinois Power Agency Act to adopt a Plan of Governance (POG) to create an opt-out aggregation program for its residents and eligible small business.  The POG is a document which describes how the program will be operated. Electrical Aggregation allows local governments to bundle - or aggregate - residential and small commercial retail electric accounts and seek proposals for a less expensive source of power.  Here are a few key points within the POG:

• Downers Grove will seek competitive proposals and negotiate a contract with a licensed alternative retail electric supplier (ARES) to provide electric supply at contracted rates to all members of the program.
• Residents are eligible unless currently under an alternative ComEd rate plan or contract with a different energy supplier.  A complete list of ineligible groups can be found in section IV of the POG.
• Eligible small businesses include those using less than 15,000 kwh per year or are not under contract with a different energy supplier.     
• There will be a two to three week period during which customers may opt out.
• ComEd will continue to provide a single bill to members of the program for all electrical charges.
• The initial contract will be for a one-year period.  At the end of this period the Village has the right to extend the agreement if the supplier can continue to beat ComEd's price.
• Potential suppliers will be required to present options for renewable energy ranging from the minimum required under state law to 100% renewable energy.  
• The POG also outlines the conditions for entering and exiting the program i.e. when customers relocate in or out of the community during the contract term.

For more information from the village, click here.