Politics & Government

City Ready to Consider Bids from Electric Companies

After residents voted in November in favor of seeking lower electricity rates, the city is ready for bids from competing companies. The City will review the options before deciding on the best rate.

Chicago Heights is nearly ready for electrical aggregation, as the city awaits bids from various vendors, which are due Wednesday, March 6.

At the second special public hearing on electrical aggregation on March 4, NIMEC Director of Marketing Sharon Durling spoke to a sparse crowd of residents and the city's aldermen about the city's electrical aggregation plan, what it means for residents and the city's opt-out plan.

Once bids are in place, NIMEC will provide assistance to the city on choosing which option is best for residents.

Find out what's happening in Chicago Heightswith free, real-time updates from Patch.

“We do not recommend, but we do give all the information you need,” Durling said. “We will make commentary, but the final decision is yours. We'll give you enough information that you do not have to be an electricity expert to make a sound decision.”

From there, residents will have the choice to opt out of the program, keeping their electrical services with ComEd or the electrical supplier of their choosing, Durling said, before the actual switch.

Find out what's happening in Chicago Heightswith free, real-time updates from Patch.

“Once we have a contract executed with the city, a week or two after that opt out letters would go out to every eligible account,” Durling said, adding. “Then there's a two-week opt-out period, we have to wait for the folks to be able to respond to that. So date of transfer with ComEd is the next possible meter reading day after that, so 60 to 90 days.”

There are some concerns about residents switching back to ComEd before the electrical aggregation switch could go into effect, Durling said. A State law requires that any resident who purchases power from ComEd for a 60-day time period must stay with ComEd for a full year before being able to switch again, something Durling stressed was important for residents to know.

“We don't want residents to fall into that, it's a minor point, but one we want to stress,” Durling said.

Following the public hearing, aldermen voted to approve a resolution authorizing electrical aggregation in a 6-0 vote, during the city council's regular meeting. 

It's so easy to stay connected with Patch!


Get more local news delivered straight to your inbox. Sign up for free Patch newsletters and alerts.

We’ve removed the ability to reply as we work to make improvements. Learn more here