Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Get email alerts on the Energy Aggregation topic
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
SOPEC briefs council on electric aggregation, door-to-door scams and upcoming Feb. 26 workshop
Summary
Representatives from SOPEC told Belpre residents the city's electric aggregation has saved residents money and warned about unauthorized door-to-door solicitations; they announced a Feb. 26 workshop and discussed expected PJM capacity price increases in summer.
Jessica Arnold, regional director for SOPEC, told the Belpre City Council and meeting attendees that the city's electric aggregation program has produced substantial savings since 2021 and warned residents about door-to-door solicitations from third-party sellers.
"We're never gonna come around door to door. We're not trying," Arnold said, explaining that SOPEC does not send door knockers and advising residents that legitimate door-to-door solicitors should carry a permit from the police department. She encouraged residents to compare supplier rates on their utility bills and to bring current bills to a free workshop to be held at the Veil Creek Senior Center on Wednesday, Feb. 26 at 10 a.m.
Arnold said the aggregation has saved about $550,000 since 2021, including $278,000 in the previous year with SOPEC. She explained that the supplier SOPEC uses is AEP Energy (the transcript uses "AEP Energy" as the supplier name) and that the city's aggregation rate is fixed while the utility's standard service offer changes periodically.
On regional pricing, Arnold warned the council that PJM capacity prices are expected to rise in June and that those capacity-driven increases will affect many states in the PJM footprint. "PJM's prices ... are going to rise in June," Arnold said, adding the final price will be set after a spring auction and that residents could realistically expect a few cents per kilowatt-hour change rather than an 800% multiplication of a household bill.
SOPEC staff offered to respond to residents' questions and said they will field calls about suspected door-to-door scams; staff will also present detailed bill comparisons at the upcoming workshop.
No council action was recorded on the aggregation topic; the presentation was informational and staff offered to follow up with outreach and the scheduled workshop.
