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Only communities in the Ameren Illinois and ComEd service territories are pursuing aggregation at this time. Click here for a list of those communities.
Section 1-92 of the Illinois Power Agency Act does not authorize aggregation of customers served by electric cooperatives or by a municipality that owns and operates its own electric distribution system.
Municipal Aggregation
Section 1-92 of the Illinois Power Agency Act allows for the aggregation of electric load by municipalities and counties (i.e., government aggregation). This means a municipality or county can negotiate for the purchase of the combined electric supply of its residents and eligible small businesses.
Yes, there are two different types of aggregation programs: Opt-out and Opt-in.
Opt-out requires the voters of a municipality or county to pass a referendum that automatically combines the electric load for residential and eligible small businesses for purchasing purposes except for those customers who actively choose not to participate in the municipality's or county's purchase program.
Opt-in aggregation program means that after the authorities within a municipality or county adopt an ordinance to combine the electric load for residential and eligible small businesses for purchasing purposes, only those residents and eligible small businesses that actually take action to “opt-in” to participate in the aggregation program are able to have their electric load included in the aggregation program and take advantage of the price negotiated on their behalf.
Communities are choosing to pursue aggregation because they may be able to help their residents and eligible small businesses save money by creating a combined customer group that has more buying power than individual residents and businesses and/or they may choose an electric supply offer that includes a higher percentage of "green" power.
If your community approves an opt-out aggregation program, which most communities are pursuing, you do not need to take any action in order to participate in the aggregation program and to get the negotiated electric supply price. If you decide not to participate in the aggregation program, you will need to take action to opt-out.
If your community selected an opt-in aggregation program, you will need to take affirmative action to participate in the program and receive the negotiated price for your electric supply. Information will be sent to your home from your municipality or county or the chosen supplier, explaining the steps you need to take to enroll with the supplier under the aggregation program.
The chosen supplier will send opt-out notices to all residents and eligible small businesses within the municipality or county. You will need to fill out and return the opt-out notice in order to be excluded from the aggregation program.
No. Customers in the Ameren Illinois and ComEd service territories have several electric supply choices, regardless of whether your community has approved an aggregation program. Residential customers can choose from several different suppliers, remain on the utility's fixed price bundled service, or participate in the utility's Real Time Pricing Program. For more information about electric choice and to see a list of offers in your area click here.
The term of the program is negotiated in the bidding process between the municipality or county and the supplier. The Illinois aggregation programs currently in effect range from one year to three years in length.
You continue to call your local utility company (Ameren Illinois or ComEd). Ameren Illinois and ComEd provide the delivery services for your electricity, delivering the electricity to your home, and are responsible for service and reliability issues, regardless of whom you choose for your electric supplier.
If you are enrolled with a supplier or the utility's residential real-time program at the time the opt-out notices are being sent out, you will likely not be included in your municipality's or county's aggregation program. You may receive a different notification letter about the program than your neighbors, explaining that your electric supply will not be included in the program unless you request it to be. Please contact your municipality or county to find out what the process is for those customers.
In most cases, you will continue to receive one bill from the utility that will contain both the utility's delivery charges and the chosen supplier's electric supply charges billed at the negotiated rate. Please contact your municipality or county to find out the chosen billing method.
If the chosen supplier uses the utility to provide the billing for the aggregation program, the status of PIPP and LIHEAP customers should not be affected. Please contact your municipality or county to find out what the process is for those customers.
Yes. Suppliers are prohibited from applying early termination fees or penalties to residential and small commercial retail customers who terminate their contracts and switch to a different supplier or go back to the utility's service.