A few years ago the Preble County Commission undertook the issue of electric aggregation. Simply put electric aggregation is the bundling after a majority vote of citizens in a given political area to pursue a group rate discount on electric rates. 

I am sure just about everyone has received multiple phone calls and pieces of literature in the mail claiming that this or that company can save you money on your electric bill. Some of you may have taken a company other than DP&L up on the offer. Some of you have simply disregarded the calls and information to possibly avoid the challenges of a change.  Some of you may not have voted, heard of or just forgot that your area may have a group option available.  

The initial offer of the Preble County Commission was to pick-up half the cost of putting electric aggregation on the ballot if local township, village or city leadership decided to pursue it at election time.  The county commission offer was contingent on electric aggregation passing, the idea being your local leadership needed to get out and sell it to their voters.   Not all community leadership even gave their constituents the chance at a vote over the financial cost to put it on the ballot if it failed.

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Cutting to the chase – Jefferson, Monroe, Dixon townships and New Paris voters approved the pursuit of group discounts. Palmer Energy which is affiliated with the County Commission Association of Ohio (CCAO) handled the negotiations with electric companies.  New Paris leadership voted to stay with DP&L in a deal to keep the village street lights on.  If you live in Jefferson, Monroe or Dixon Townships the residential rate available to you is .058 cents per kilowatt (5.8 cents) and the commercial rate available is .0562 or 5.62 cents per kilowatt.  This deal is with First Energy but if you live in these areas you are not obligated to take the deal.  The fact that the rate is available though sets a group rate bar that a competitor should beat before you accept it.  My example is that just prior to Jefferson township voting in favor I had signed my business up with a company that later offered me a lower 5.39 when I questioned them as they had people going door to door.  That initial 5.39 rate was set to expire in December of this year and that company’s new rate was going up to 7.69.  I have dropped them and have moved to the First Energy price of 5.62 and that is a considerable savings.  The rates in these three townships are available into 2017. It is money I will be able to spend on something else.

Other townships have since pursued electric aggregation and Jackson Township has passed it with a rate of 5.6 available to both residential and commercial customers.  It would be nice if at some future date the entire county or even a group of counties are able to pursue the best group rate available and increase the savings. If your area has not passed electric aggregation then it is up to you to take on the leadership of the effort if your local elected officials won't. Remind them that economic development at its most basic is about putting more money into the local economy. Don't let them lecture on economic development if they have not pursued this option.

Good luck and may you save money.