Homefield Energy to Serve as the Electricity Supplier for Program in Glen Carbon
By Times Tribune Staff
GLEN CARBON — The Village of Glen Carbon is announcing a renewed municipal electricity aggregation program with a new supplier, Homefield Energy.
The Village’s primary goal is to protect residents from the continued rise in electric supply rates. Residents and businesses are also able to opt-out of the program if desired.
Since February 2023, the Village’s residents and small businesses participating in the municipal electricity aggregation program have been receiving rates of $0.1220 from their current supplier, Constellation. The new contract will be with Homefield Energy, a locally based company that previously supplied the Village. The new rate will be $0.09054, which equates to a $0.03146 decrease per kilowatt hour (kWh) used from the current program rate. Also, the delivery rate will change from the higher summer rate period to a lower non-summer rate period which will result in additional savings.
Unlike previous contracts for the aggregation program, the Village of Glen Carbon along with their consultant Good Energy, have deliberately secured the new rate for a short period of time due to the uncertainty in the energy market. The new shorter program will commence on the December 2024 meter read date and will continue through the May 2025 meter read date. This new 6-month program rate is a fully fixed rate and will not change during that timeframe. A new follow-on rate will be negotiated with suppliers prior to the expiration in May 2025. Meanwhile, the Ameren rate can change throughout the period and is scheduled for an annual change in January 2025, which in the past several years has resulted in an increase. The current Ameren rate as of Oct. 1 is $0.081. The Village aggregation program rate provides protection against higher rates as well as stability. For while those participating in the program since its inception have had only 7 rate changes since 2013, the Utility has had 30 rate changes.
Although this program is designed to protect residents from the volatility in the energy market and provide insurance against large increases in rates as we experienced in 2021 and 2022, it also provides the ability to opt-out of the program at any time without penalty if the account holder desires. Opt-out letters will be mailed to all eligible residents within the Village and if the account holder desires to continue participating in the program, then they need do nothing with the opt-out notice and they will be automatically enrolled, the news release states.
If the account holder chooses not to participate in the program, there are several ways to do this. Simply return the opt-out notice by mail, call the new Supplier, Homefield Energy at (866) 694-1262, or go to the website as referenced in the letter. If you have questions about the program, it’s important you do not call the Village of Glen Carbon. The Village cannot opt you out of the program. Again, you may call Homefield Energy direct at (866) 694-1262 or call with any questions or Good Energy’s direct line to speak to Vicki Browning at (844) 686-4244.
In addition to the opt out letter from Homefield Energy, each account holder may receive a notice from Ameren that their current supplier contract with Constellation is expiring, and that you must make a new choice in suppliers. Don’t be alarmed with the letter, it is part of the process required by the State of Illinois. Again, the opt-out letter remedies any letter received from Ameren. If residents and small businesses wish to continue participating in the program, they simply do nothing. They will be automatically enrolled when the program transitions to the new supplier in December 2024. Lastly, Ameren will also send a letter confirming you have chosen Homefield Energy as your new supplier, providing another opportunity to decline enrollment. Unless account holders actively opt-out of the program they are automatically enrolled.
“We are fortunate to partner with Good Energy L.P., the largest municipal aggregation consultant in the US, whose headquarters are in New York, and have regional offices in Edwardsville and Peoria, IL,” The release states. “More than ever before, especially during these times of newly mandated clean air standards, global unrest, extreme weather disasters, and increasing volatility within the energy market, Village officials feel an obligation to give residents an option to help reduce their energy costs and protect them during these uncertain times.”
Questions or concerns about the municipal aggregation program can be addressed via email at [email protected] or by phone at 844-686-4244.
