Natural Next Step: Group Gas Rates?

Peoria residents are currently benefiting from the immense cost savings of electric aggregation from their arrangement with Good Energy. According to Good Energy managing partner Charles de Casteja, there is now a chance that they can become eligible for cost savings on gas, as well.

Good Energy CEO Maximilian Hoover is thrilled to be at the forefront of the battle to save residents money in Illinois. Consumers stand to have serious savings from gas aggregation. In Ohio, for instance, residents save anywhere from 5 to 15 percent from aggregation programs. Ohioans have been benefiting from aggregation for almost a decade.

In northern Illinois and Chicago, there have also been options. Ameren customers in southern Illinois have not had the chance to shop for rates between competitors, however ComEd customers have had the choice of “five or six providers,” according to Casteja.

De Casteja says the idea is still in the “stakeholder stage.” Meetings are with stakeholders, including utilities, community representatives, and natural gas suppliers are still necessary. Then, a recommendation must be submitted by the Illinois Commerce Commission to the Illinois attorney general and the Illinois General Assembly.

Still, there is a good chance it will all be approved by 2014, in which case a referendum might be on ballots as early as the April 2014 ballot. In order to benefit from gas aggregation, residents will need to vote on a referendum, just as they did for electric aggregation last year. But according to de Casteja, “This will be very attractive to residents. It won’t be a tough sell.”

For more information on municipal aggregation, click here. For the full article, see below.