Electric aggregation program renewed for unincorporated Kane County
Residents and small businesses in unincorporated Kane County should have received letters in mid-June regarding the Kane County Electric Aggregation Program.
The program's current contract with Dynegy Energy, LLC that began back in August 2015 will come to an end in August 2017.
Over the past couple months, Kane County government went through the process of seeking bids from electric suppliers for the next phase of the program.
A new supplier, Constellation NewEnergy Inc., was selected in May and a 12-month contract will go into effect in August 2017.
Customers will receive fixed electric supply rate of 7.08 cents/kWh under the new contract, which will be slightly lower than ComEd's Price to Compare - which is currently 6.892 cents/kWh for June-September 2017, but will increase to 7.151 cents/kWh after September.
Customers of Kane County's program will also have the option of selecting a rate of 7.16 cents/kWh for 100 percent renewable energy for the same 12-month term. Customers who choose to have 100 percent of their power consumed to be offset by "green" energy generation must contact Constellation at (844) 236-2162 to request that option.
The main goal of Kane County's Electric Aggregation Program is to secure a lower electric supply rate for residents and small businesses in unincorporated Kane County.
"Even though the new rate for the program won't be as low as it was for the last two years, the program will still provide a small savings for customers," said Ken Anderson, director of the Kane County Division of Environmental Resources. "Luckily, the current program rate - which is one of the lowest in all of northern Illinois - will continue through the August billing cycle when customers are likely using more electricity during the hot summer months."
"This increase in Kane County's Electric Aggregation Program rate and ComEd's Price to Compare is reflective of across-the-board rising costs of power generation and an increase in capacity charges affecting all ratepayers in the PJM network," explained Sharon Durling from the Northern Illinois Municipal Electric Collaborative, Kane County's consultant for the electric aggregation program. "Kane County's continuation of the aggregation program maintains a seamless transition for customers, rather than suspending the program to return to ComEd's electric supply and then perhaps restarting again next year.
Residents and small businesses in unincorporated Kane County will receive program information via a letter from Constellation NewEnergy in mid-June.
If customers do not want to participate in the program, they will have until Thursday, July 6, to opt out.
Opting out will be easier for this next round of the program, since there will be a website option in addition to the mail-in opt out form and the customer service phone number.
For customers who choose to be part of the program - which will likely be between 10,000-12,000 households and small businesses - they will not need to do anything to be automatically enrolled, and the new electric supply rate will show up on their bill after their August 2017 meter read date.
Residents already receiving electric supply from an alternative supplier will receive a different letter that will inform them of how to opt in to Kane County's program, but those ratepayers should be sure to review their existing contracts carefully for potential penalties and fees.
More information about Kane County's Electric Aggregation Program is available at www.constellation.com/il-KaneCounty and on the Kane County website at www.countyofkane.org.