Gurnee approves deal with new electricity provider

Gurnee residents soon will have an opportunity to buy electricity at a rate cheaper than what ComEd’s offering.

Village board trustees Monday night voted 6-0 in favor of approving a one-year contract with FirstEnergy Solutions. FirstEnergy will charge 4.4 cents per kilowatt hour. Village Administrator Patrick Muetz said it’s hope the 4.4-cent rate will start in July.

ComEd’s rate of 7.73 cents per kilowatt hour will rise to 8.5 cents in July. ComEd will continue to deliver power, bill customers and respond to outages.

Gurnee and Riverside received the 4.4-cent rate after combining on a bid in early May through the Northern Illinois Municipal Electricity Collaborative. A typical homeowner is estimated to save more than $400 with FirstEnergy.

“You can see that is almost a 50 percent savings compared to the ComEd rate,” Muetz said.

In March, Gurnee voters — similar to those from several other suburbs — approved a measure that allowed village government to aggregate residents’ ComEd accounts and seek competitive quotes for electricity.

Last week, the Lake Zurich village board approved a two-year contract with FirstEnergy for 4.75 cents per kilowatt hour. Lake Zurich combined with Crystal Lake, South Elgin, Yorkville and the electricity collaborative in trying to increase buying power.

Residents in Arlington Heights, Buffalo Grove, Lincolnshire, Long Grove, Palatine, Vernon Hills and Wheeling with ComEd service will have a chance to pay 4.8 cents per kilowatt hour through a one-year deal starting June 1. Integrys Energy Group offered the low bid to that consortium.