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Those bids can be rejected if they dont result in savings to customers, she said. But nothing ventured, nothing gained. You really need to go out there to see whats happening.
Illinois energy aggrigation ballot measures Ballot measure could mean a chance to pay less for your electricity,If things work out as planned, at least 50,000 people -- or about one county resident in five -- in unincorporated areas could see their monthly electric bills drop by 10 percent or more if municipal aggregation, or bundling, becomes a reality.
Barb Ducey, who co-owns a home in the Signal Hill neighborhood, outside the Belleville city line, predicted the ballot measure would prove popular with county residents eager to save money amid higher property taxes.
So based on their success, then others have seen the light, so to speak, and realized they may be passing up savings for their residents and small businesses, so theyre all going to put it on the ballot, Juracek said.
Chilsen noted that Amerens prices could drop after June 1, while the power giants long-term contracts are set to expire in December, which could result in another price drop.
Juracek attributed the spate of aggregation measures on ballots statewide to the positive experiences reported by the dozen or so towns that have already jumped into forest of electricity choice.
There are short-term savings to be had, at least through next May, Chilsen said of aggregation. But the jurys still out on whether electric competition, including municipal aggregation, will bring long-term savings to Illinois consumers.
Maher noted the March 20 vote represents an opt in vote under which residents who wish to remain with Ameren or another supplier must opt out.
The March 20 ballot measures statewide represent the biggest step yet toward realizing the promise of competitive pricing in the five years since Illinois lifted price caps on electricity rates.
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Dan Maher, the county administrator, said the measure is going on the ballot at this time because it represents a chance to save money for residents.
Arlene Juracek, the acting director of the Illinois Power Agency, cautioned that lower electricity prices are not guaranteedIllinois energy aggrigation ballot measures just because an aggregation program is adopted.
These are really rough times, Maher said. And any time you can help people with their utility bills...
I think the bottom line with the electricity here is that people need a little relief, Ducey said. If competition is how you get relief, then I think the people in the county need the competition.
All it ensures is that the presiding government entity may bid out electricity contracts on behalf of its residents.
Ameren spokesman Leigh Morris has said that Ameren doesnt lose or gain a thing in municipal aggregation. The utility makes its profits on the distribution of energy, not the sale of it and the company only charges consumers exactly what they pay to obtain the energy.
Much of the citizen rancor stemmed from the ct that Ameren continued to wield monopoly power over its customers, who, unless they moved outside of Amerens service area, had no choice but to pay the suddenly higher prices.
This would happen because the county would use economies of scale to bargain for lower electricity prices on behalf of thousands of customers from dozens of companies that supply electricity in Illinois.
The end of price caps unleashed a harsh outcry from every corner of the state as consumers saw their electric bills abruptly spike by up to 300 percent or more in January 2007.
BELLEVILLE -- St. Clair County voters could give new meaning to the phrase power to the people in the March 20 referendum.
Even if the county switched from Ameren Illinois to a new electricity provider, Ameren would still play a major role in the equation.
So if you vote for this youre voting to be a part of it, he said. But you have the option of getting out of it if you want to do that.
Ameren would continue to charge customers fIllinois energy aggrigation ballot measures Ballot measure could mean a chance to pay less for your electricityor the cost of delivering electricity over its power grid. The power giant would also continue to handle all customer billing, oversee repairs and maintenance on its lines and respond in the event of a power outage.
At least 108 Illinois towns and counties in the Ameren and Con Ed service areas have electricity aggregation resolutions on the March 20 ballot, including Belleville, Collinsville, Glen Carbon, Granite City and Alton.
Electricity aggregation offers the prospect of potential energy savings, but the choices it brings means that consumers must do their homework to make the best choices for themselves, according Jim Chilsen, a spokesman for the Citizens Utility Board, in Chicago, which represents residential utility consumers in Illinois.
