Normal Residents, after a successful negotiation, have been guaranteed a $0.4099 per kilowatt-hour rate with Homefield Energy for electricity delivery. This is a 27 percent discount compared to the current rates from provider Ameren Illinois. This exceeded the rate savings of 20-25 percent for which City Manager Mark Peterson had been hoping.
These savings are from a referendum on the November 6th ballot which allows Normal residents to partake in electric aggregation, reversing the unsuccessful vote earlier this year. Electric aggregation allows municipalities to group their collective electricity needs in an effort to receive a discounted rate of delivery. This process has successfully reduced rates in many municipalities across Illinois, together with the 55 municipalities which made up this round.
Normal residents will see these savings in March. The contract is set to begin in February for a span of 17 months, and will have an instant impact on their bills. To receive the discounted rates, Normal residents do not need to do anything. They will, however, be offered the ability to opt out if they would like to maintain Ameren Illinois as their electric provider. Letters detailing how to opt out will be mailed between December 16th and January 6th.
Bloomington City and Mclean county, among other local municipalities, are debating putting a referendum on the ballot for municipal aggregation. Good Energy, a municipal aggregation consulting firm, has been contacted by these municipalities given the unbelievable savings seen in this round of negotiations. Bloomington will be evaluating a plan on December 17th and Mclean County will be evaluating a plan on December 18th. Bloomington voters voted this referendum down earlier this year, but local officials are hopeful residents will re-evaluate their choice should a second vote be granted.
For more information on municipal aggregation, click here. For the full article, see below.
Source: Pantagraph.com
