Consortium Picks Electric Supplier for Huntley's Aggregation Program

The Northern Illinois Government Electric Aggregation Consortium signed an agreement with Direct Energy for a lower, fixed electric rate for Huntley consumers, officials said.

Northern Illinois Government Electric Aggregation accepted Direct Energy’s bid for a rate of $0.04169 per kilowatt-hour for the village’s electric aggregation opt-out program. The current ComEd rate is $0.0773 per kilowatt-hour, officials said. The new rate takes effect August 2012 and runs through July 2013.

“It’s good news they are moving forward,” Huntley Mayor Charles Sass said at Thursday’s Village Board meeting.

Northern Illinois Government Electric Aggregation includes Huntley, Genoa, Woodstock, Lakewood and Ringwood.

“We are pleased that residents and small businesses in these communities represented by the NIGEAC will have the option of purchasing electricity through this agreement,” said Anna Moeller, official coordinator for Northern Illinois Government Electric Aggregation and executive director of the McHenry County Council of Governments, in a release on Huntley’s website.

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Huntley Village Manager Dave Johnson said the master agreement has been signed and Direct Energy will be moving quickly to get letters out to residents explaining what they need to do along with opt-out cards that must be sent back if residents decide not to participate in the program.

Johnson said the rate Direct Energy is offering is one of the lowest officials has seen.

Huntley residents have been getting offers from other suppliers — some of which reportedly made it seem as if the company was part of the village’s electric aggregation program — via phone calls and door-to-door solicitation.

Officials advised residents that solicitors must have a permit from the village and if they approach a home with a “No Solicitors” sign on the door, it can be a violation of a village ordinance, Johnson said.

Johnson has been getting complaints from residents about the solicitors.

The city of Elgin also has an electric aggregation program in the works and officials there alerted residents of the electric supply companies contacting consumers ahead of municipalities choosing an electric supplier.