Oakwood forum: electric aggregation ends; city offers opt-in gas program at fixed rate

S1, the forum presenter representing city staff, told a standing-room audience that Oakwood's 2023 electricity aggregation contract will end this December and the city was unable to secure a successor on the opt-in terms council prefers. "Our electricity program, which started in 2023, is coming to an end," S1 said, and participants will be returned automatically to AES's standard choice supply when the contract expires.

The presenter explained how deregulation split utility bills into distribution (pipes, wires) and supply (the commodity) and encouraged residents to check page two of their utility bills to see their current supplier. S1 said AES's supply rate had nearly doubled in 2022 (to roughly 10.9' per kilowatt-hour), and that the AES standard choice rate at the time of the forum was about 9.45'/kWh.

On natural gas, S1 announced an opt-in aggregation program with Archer Energy that went live in late September/early October and offers a fixed rate of 66.25 cents per CCF through May 2027. "The Archer program that Oakwood is offering right now is a fixed rate, that 66 and a quarter cents per CCF," S1 said, adding there is no cancellation fee and that residents may join or leave the program as their circumstances change.

Residents pressed city representatives on several points during the Q&A. One resident, S5, said losing past aggregation savings would raise household costs and estimated, "My bill is gonna go up about $100 a month" without a favorable aggregation rate. Multiple attendees argued an opt-out model would produce greater buying power and lower prices; S1 responded that city council had chosen an opt-in approach and was open to hearing resident feedback but declined to accept an opt-out-only provider when consortium bids offered only opt-out terms.

Officials and commenters also discussed consortium procurement. Oakwood participates in a multi-municipality bidding consortium (referred to during the forum as MVCC/NBCC); that consortium accepted an opt-out supplier for its pooled bid, but Oakwood elected not to participate in that opt-out arrangement. Some residents urged the city to pursue other consortiums (SOPEC/PEC) or its own solicitation to capture buying power and potential infrastructure grant opportunities such as EV chargers or solar projects.

S1 advised consumers to compare offers on the Public Utilities Commission of Ohio's energychoice.ohio.gov site, watch for contract terms such as early-termination fees and monthly charges, favor fixed rates if they want price stability, and set calendar reminders before contracts expire. The presenter emphasized that distribution charges to AES or CenterPoint would remain unchanged by aggregation and that potential savings are in the supply portion of the bill.

The forum closed with the presenter directing residents to the city website for Archer signup information and the PUCO comparison site for shopping third-party offers. No formal council action or vote occurred at the session; S1 said council remains willing to hear constituent views on opt-in versus opt-out aggregation going forward.