A year after Philip Carr, Business Development Director for Good Energy, introduced the concept of energy aggregation before the Glen Carbon Village Board, local communities,  including Edwardsville, will vote on an aggregation referendum. If the referendum passes, Carr promised that residents will see a 25 to 27% reduction in their energy supply costs because they'll be able to bid as a collective.

While the language of energy aggregation isn't intuitive, the concept is simple. Just like always, you'll get one energy bill from the same company you always have, either Ameren Illinois or Commonwealth Edison, which now handles both energy distribution and energy supply. If the referendum passes and the community accepts a bid from another energy company, Ameren and ComEd will only handle distribution and billing. Your bill will reflect the newly-negotiated lower energy rate provided by the new independent energy company.