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Hampshire board weighs electricity aggregation, asks staff to draft ordinance
Summary
Consultant Sharon Derling told the Village of Hampshire board that a ComEd price‑match aggregation could return a civic contribution and offer a green option; trustees asked about rates, privacy, solar impacts and outreach, and directed staff to draft an ordinance for future consideration.
Sharon Derling, an aggregation consultant, outlined options for restarting a villagewide electricity aggregation program and described a ComEd price‑match approach that would charge the ComEd rate and could include a civic contribution to the village or a limited community green‑energy purchase. “There are no pennies more, not a penny less — it’s exactly the ComEd rate,” Derling said, adding one supplier was offering a $35,000 civic contribution for a two‑year term.
Derling told trustees she found roughly 14% of Hampshire residents already signed with alternative suppliers and therefore likely paying rates above ComEd. She said the village‑run, opt‑out model sends an official notice to all households; residents may do nothing, opt out, or sign with another supplier. “People get a notice and many will do nothing; others will be contacted by door‑to‑door solicitors,” Derling said, describing the communications and protections included in past programs.
Trustees pressed on consumer protections, privacy, solar/net‑metering impacts and contract terms. Trustee Kelly asked whether suppliers receive residents’ personal data; Derling said vendors receive only the information necessary to run the program and “we discard the data” afterward and that contract language prohibits continued marketing after the program ends. Board members also raised concerns that some residents who signed earlier aggregation contracts are now paying higher rates and asked how switching could affect net‑metered solar customers. Derling responded that ComEd’s billing remains the same unit price and that past market and net‑metering changes can affect some households, but she said recent utility changes have reduced earlier problems.
No ordinance was adopted. After extended discussion, the board asked staff to draft a standard aggregation ordinance and return with options (ComEd price‑match, civic contribution, or a limited green‑energy purchase) for consideration before January. The board did not vote on entering an aggregation contract tonight; any future program would be subject to a separate ordinance and procurement.
