Saint Bernard hears pitch for municipal energy aggregation; council members follow up

Rich Sarais, a representative of Energy Alliances, outlined an opt-out municipal energy aggregation program to the Village of Saint Bernard Committee of the Whole on Jan. 9, saying the program would let the village solicit bulk electricity and natural gas supply contracts on behalf of residents and eligible small businesses while Duke Energy would continue to deliver service and handle outages.

The presentation centered on how aggregation works, who would be eligible, consumer protections and the steps the village would need to take to get certified and place the question before voters. "The programs that we run never have a termination fee," Sarais said, adding that residents may enter or leave the program at any time at no cost. He also said, "It's not mandatory," stressing that participation would be optional for customers.

Why it matters: an aggregation program can create a single, village-negotiated supply price and — if council chooses to pursue certification and voters approve — could provide price certainty or renewable-energy options that individual residents might not secure on their own. Sarais said the Public Utilities Commission of Ohio…