An Editorial in the Belleville News Democrat: You can vote to pay less for electricity

Good Energy's Philip Carr wrote a very informative editorial published on October 13, 2012 in the Belleville, IL News-Democrat entitled "You can vote to pay less for electricity".  Click on the link below to learn more....

You can vote to pay less for electricity (bnd.com)

Explaining Municipal Aggregation and You (Illinois Residents)

Over the past year, as more and more Illinois municipalities have been passing and implementing municipal aggregation plans, customers have saved significantly on their at-home energy supply costs. Projections suggest that municipal aggregation implemented in residential areas, could save residents 21 to 30% on the average home's total energy bill, which translates to 35 to 50% saved on just their energy supply usage. 

Still confused by your energy bill? Your bill breaks down charges for different products: the energy used to power your house and the distribution of energy to your house. Municipal aggregation effects the former, the supply. In the past, the supply and distribution of energy in Illinois were both provided by one of two companies: Ameren Illinois, in Southern and Central Illinois, or ComEd, in the North. 

In communities which have recently passed a municipal aggregation plan, energy will no longer be supplied by Ameren Illinois. Instead, the municipality will sign a two-year contract for a fixed energy cost with an independent energy company. And because companies have competed for the contract, they have necessarily had to lower the per kWh cost for energy.

Though the energy will be supplied by a new company, the distribution of energy, or the transfer of energy to your house, will still be under the purvey of either Ameren Illinois or ComEd. Your local energy company, the one to which you've paid energy bills for years, will maintain your lines power lines and will still be the one sending you the bill. 

That is, unless you decide to opt-out. If voters pass municipal aggregation, all residents are automatically enrolled with the new energy company. No extra work needed. If, for some reason, a resident does not want to participate in the program, he or she is able to opt-out. If someone chooses to do so, he or she will need to contact either the new energy company, or Ameren Illinois.

Between June and September 2012, ComEd charged 6.932 cents per kWh. Their projected rate for October 2012 through May 2013 is 8.320 centers per kWh order. While ComEd's price is going up, the price that households which are supplied by independent energy companies pay is going down. In 2012, those companies offered a rate of 4.87 cents per kWh. That's down from 5.81 cents per kWh the year before. In Illinois, because the new energy company's contract is two years, that lower price is locked in until 2014. 

The work of pitching, passing and implementing a municipal aggregation program is much easier with the help of an energy consultant. Good Energy has consulted for municipalities across Illinois and helped to make possible the single biggest residential energy purchase in the history of the United States.

In order for a community to legally qualify for municipal aggregation, they must hold public meetings, in which members of the public can come and ask questions. There are a number of other hoops through which a community must jump to make municipal aggregation possible, and Good Energy has a wealth of experience helping municipalities make sure that all their I's are dotted and T's are crossed.

Source:  GoodEnergy.com

From GoodEnergy.com: After voting "no" in March, Normal residents have a second chance to pass energy aggregation

Eight months after the energy aggregation referendum failed to pass in Normal, Ill., the issue is on the ballot once again. After the first vote on municipal aggregation, complaints arose that voters were not as informed as they needed to be in order to pass such a resolution. This time, however, Good Energy is helping to ensure that residents know what aggregation means for them. As for the other municipalities and counties which have passed municipal aggregation, Good Energy's managing partner, Charles de Casteja, says that residents are seeing savings of 25 to 30% on their energy supply rates. The main opposition comes from members of the Republican party, like John Parrott Jr., McLean County Republican Party Chairman, who oppose municipal aggregation on the grounds that it invites government into another sector of everyday life. 

Source: GoodEnergy.com

Philip Carr speaks with Effingham Radio about the Nov. 6 Energy Supply Proposition

On Friday October 5, 2012, Effingham Radio spoke with Philip Carr, a representative for Good Energy, about the energy supply proposition that will be on the local ballot Nov. 6. Carr has been traveling around Illinois explaining the basics of energy aggregation to residents. In March 2012, about 60 Illinois communities voted to approve municipal aggregation and switched from Ameren Illinois. Ameren, which has historically both supplied and distributed energy to Illinois residents, will continue to distribute energy and maintain the power lines, but they will no longer supply the actual energy if the proposition passes in Effingham. "An individual household can get the same purchasing power as a heavy industrial user," Carr said. If the energy supply proposition passes, residents don't have to do anything extra to enroll, Carr emphasized. Only if you choose to opt-out of the program will you have to contact either Ameren, or the winning energy supplier. 

Click the play button below to listen to the 4 minute excerpt from Friday morning's (October 5, 2012) 97.9 WXEF news broadcast

(Source: 97.9 WXEF Effingham Radio News)

from GoodEnergy.com: The results are in: Municipal aggregation is a hit with Illinois residents

For consumers who were in the first wave of Illinois residents to enact a municipal aggregation program, the results are in: energy aggregation is a hit. This summer, consumers who voted to pass the referendum in March, saw immediate cost reductions on their bills. But this didn't come as a surprise. Before going to the polls, Good Energy made a push to spread the word: Municipal aggregation saves you money and is in voters' best interest. Though a number of counties in the area did approve municipal aggregation when it was on the March ballot, voters in Collinsville, Granite City and every other counties near Glen Carbon did not. But those residents are not out of luck. On Nov. 6, the ordinance will be on the ballot once again, and Good Energy is devoting energy to persuading voters to vote "yes" on the Electricity Supply Proposition.

Source: GoodEnergy.com

Good Energy in the News: In theory, municipal aggregation looked liked a good idea; in practice, it was a homerun

Illinois residents are seeing the benefits of collective buying power. More than 220,000 residences signed on to participate in the municipal aggregation program, including Bethalto residents, have all seen a major reduction in the cost of energy at home. In the planning stages, Good Energy predicted residents would save between 15 and 25 percent per kilowatt hour, but because so many people signed on and because Good Energy was able to help negotiate a much lower energy cost, the savings are close to 36 percent per kilowatt hour. What must have looked to consumers like an optimistic goal, now appears to have been a conservative one. 

Source: Good Energy.com

FOR NEW MOVE-INS IN AMEREN SERVICE REGION - How to enroll

If you are just moving into one of the communities now served in the municipal aggregation and wish to be included, call or email Homefield Energy's Customer Care department.  The program is only open to those moving into the area with a new Ameren account. 

They may be reached at:
Homefield Energy Customer Care:  866.694.1262
CustCare@HomefieldEnergy.com

Good Energy is Forsyth's logical pick for energy consultant to help with municipal aggregation

In Illinois, not only is municipal aggregation gaining supporters, but so too is Good Energy. While the concept of municipal aggregation is simple, the paperwork and logistics can be exhausting. That's where Good Energy comes in. They act as educators on every level, from the public to the politicians, in addition to making sure municipalities meet deadlines to get the referendum on the ballot. And on Thursday Mike Miller, Village Administrator of Forsyth, approved Good Energy, which now boasts an impressive record of implementing energy aggregation programs in Illinois, to be the town's consulting firm. Their goal will be to make sure municipal aggregation passes and goes into effect without a hitch. 

Source: Good Energy.com

On the GoodEnergy.com website: Crawford County hires Good Energy to implement municipal aggregation plan

Another Illinois county has voted to select Good Energy as its energy consulting company for help implementing a municipal energy aggregation plan. The board, which voted Sept. 20 to approve Good Energy, is joining the flood of Illinois counties which have pledged to help residents collectively bargain for cheaper energy. The Crawford County board members are adamant that all the public information meetings meant to educate the public on municipal aggregation be held before the election, so voters are as informed as possible before they go to the polls Nov. 6.

Source: GoodEnergy.com

Good Energy highlights the dramatic savings consumers are likely to see via municipal electric aggregation at Centralia, IL Chamber of Commerce Luncheon

Philip Carr, the Business Development Director for Good Energy, spoke to Centralia's Chamber of Commerce Wednesday and explained municipal electric aggregation. In addition to talking about the savings consumers will see on their energy bills, Carr explained why Good Energy was the company most qualified to handle the city's transition to electric aggregation. He reassured the Chamber that Good Energy specializes in energy aggregation and is deeply invested in helping Illinois towns and counties understand and implement aggregation plans. Because residents will buy energy as a group, the cost will be much less per individual. In addition to that, Carr talked about how energy is selling at a ten-year low. Because residents will sign a two-year contract with the new energy supplier, the low rate will be fixed. If the referendum passes on Nov. 6, the price reduction will go into effect in Centralia and surrounding incorporated areas.

Source: GoodEnergy.com