Kane County moves to green electrical aggregation at no added cost

Elgio Energy to supply power to unincorporated residents, small businesses

KANE COUNTY – Kane County has entered into an agreement with Eligo Energy for electricity supply for residents and small commercial businesses in unincorporated portions of the county beginning at meter read dates in August, officials announced in a news release.

Chicago-based Eligo Energy offered the most favorable terms in a competitive bid process, the release stated.

Eligo Energy will provide Kane County residents and small business owners with electric supply at exactly the ComEd rate, including the monthly variable portion.

Additionally, the county will earn designation as an EPA Green Power Partner at zero added cost to residents and the county.

A portion of power consumption will be offset by Renewable Energy Certificates which are the sole currency of the renewable energy market. RECs are issued when one megawatt-hour of electricity is generated and delivered to the electricity grid from a renewable energy resource, according to the EPA.

On a shared grid, whether from on-site or off-site resources, RECs are the instrument that electricity consumers must use to substantiate renewable electricity use claims.

A short video produced by the EPA about how RECs work is available at www.tinyurl.com/GreenEPA.

The current annualized ComEd rate is 7.127 cents per kilowatt hour.

The county received bids for a fixed-rate program, but no pricing offered guaranteed savings vs. the ComEd rate, which continues to remain relatively low.

This renewal ensures no participant will ever pay more than the ComEd rate, and offers new benefits including Green Energy and a Civic Contribution.

The cost of serving each electric account varies greatly, based on usage patterns.

Some ratepayer accounts will remain with ComEd supply service because the cost of generation for their account exceeds the ComEd rate. Others will be switched to Eligo, but to be clear, all residents have choice over their electric supplier. They may choose to opt out of the program, the release stated.

Notices were mailed to residents and small businesses on June 11. Recipients should read their notices as some accounts are enrolled with Eligo, some will be served by ComEd, but the net effect is identical for all, the release stated.

Eligible ratepayers include all residents and small businesses located in Kane County’s unincorporated portions with the exceptions of Aurora and Dundee townships, that have chosen to manage separate aggregation programs.

There is no fee to join or to leave the county’s program.

Ratepayers enrolled in a private contract with another alternate supplier may join the county’s program by calling Eligo Customer Care 630-912-8170 from 8 a.m. to 6 p.m. Monday through Friday.

As of Jan. 1, 2020, no supplier may charge a termination fee when a ratepayer vacates a contract to join the county’s program, the release stated.

Participating residents and small businesses will continue to receive one monthly bill generated by ComEd and continue to receive delivery services from ComEd. How you pay your bill will not change, and if you are eligible for LIHEAP or PIPP assistance, that does not change. The new rate will be reflected on September’s ComEd bills.

Please note that no one from Eligo, Kane County, or ComEd will ever visit your home or call you to enroll, nor ask for your ComEd account number. If a solicitor claims to be Kane County’s supplier or ComEd, take their information and report the incident to the ICC at 800-524-0795 or www.icc.illinois.gov/consumer/complaint.

Any outages should be reported to ComEd.

If residents have issues with their supply change or enrollment, they are encouraged to leave a question and their callback number with the county’s consultant, NIMEC, at 800-727-3820 or via email to sdurling@nimec.net, who will work to ensure your issue is resolved.