Will County Governmental League to pick electricity supplier Thursday
By Jeanne Millsap For The Herald-News July 18, 2012 10:36AM
Updated: August 20, 2012 11:43AM
Will County Governmental League members will vote Thursday for an electrical company that will serve residents and small businesses in communities that approved resolutions to participate in electrical aggregation last spring.
Channahon, Bolingbrook, Braidwood, Coal City, Elwood, Frankfort, Plainfield, Romeoville, Shorewood as well as other local communities passed referendums to join the league to aggregate electrical supply of customers, aiming for lower rates by group discount.
Hugh O’Hara, the league’s transportation director, said Wednesday it looks like participants could save more than 40 percent on their electric bills with the bids that have come in.
He warns residents, however, about some questionable sales calls by a few electrical suppliers in recent weeks.
The league has received complaints from Channahon, Braidwood and Romeoville that suppliers are calling residents and misrepresenting themselves as the providers chosen for the aggregation. Some people signed up with the companies.
Channahon Village Administrator Joe Pena said there are residents who have signed up with electric companies that allegedly have told them they were the village’s chosen aggregation provider.
“Several of these energy companies have employed telephone services to make random phone calls to residents,” Pena said. “They tell them they will save money by going with them.”
Pena said one resident signed up for the service, then later, after fully understanding the situation and complaining, was released from his contract.
“It is fraud,” O’Hara said of companies that may be misrepresenting themselves as the league’s chosen provider.
Once the decision is made Thursday, he said, the public will be informed of the provider. Letters will then go out to residents from their communities with the letterhead of the village or city, along with the letterhead of the new provider.
Residents will not be notified by phone.
For those communities that voted to participate, residents will not have to do anything to automatically be switched over to the new provider. They may individually opt out of the deal by contacting their village.
Channahon Village President Joe Cook said he is asking his residents to call the village if they have received calls from electricity providers that are misrepresenting themselves as the league’s or Channahon’s chosen provider.
Those who do sign contracts with other companies will not be able to get the aggregation’s rate.
