In November, more than 220 municipalities in Illinois will go to the polls to vote on municipal aggregation, a plan which will allow residents to buy their electricity supply in bulk. Instead of continuing with Ameren Illinois, or in some areas Commonwealth Edison, residents will contract with a new independent energy company, which will be chosen after a competitive bidding process. If they vote yes, they will join a slew of other Illinois areas which approved an aggregation referendum in March. Over the past six months, those counties have witnessed a dramatic decrease in their energy supply bills. Average savings hover above 25%. A recent change in Illinois law allows for residents to contract with energy companies competing against traditional energy suppliers, including Ameren Illinois. After that change was made, companies began going door-to-door advertising to residents their competitive services. To help make sense of the chaos, Decatur, among other counties and municipalities, has hired Good Energy to help inform the public about the ins and outs of implementing a municipal aggregation plan. Because a lot of the new energy business is going to local companies, Charles de Casteja, managing partner of Good Energy, municipal aggregation could also stimulate local economies. "That is a lot of money going back into those communities," de Casteja said.