City and county officials conducted a town hall on Monday to promote the energy aggregation issues voters will see on their ballot Nov. 7.
Aggregation, local officials say, will provide relief on the electric and natural gas bills received by consumers in Portsmouth and unincorporated areas of the county. In a livestreamed event that can still be found on the Scioto County Commissioners’ Facebook page, Commissioner Bryan Davis and City Manager Sam Sutherland answer questions, as well as Phil Dysard of Palmer Energy, the independent energy consultant for the Ohio Municipal League and the County Commissioners Association of Ohio.
There will be two issues, one for electric aggregation and one for natural gas aggregation. A “yes” vote means the city and unincorporated parts of Scioto County will be able to come together to negotiate energy prices and contracts.
“So, if this passes by majority vote, the opt-out program would go into effect,” Dysard said.
It would take about 30 days because paperwork needs to be filed to make the city and county certified aggregators with the Public Utilities Commission of Ohio. Then, the new local aggregators would be able to request pricing from providers. Local prosecutors and solicitors would examine the contract before it is signed into effect.
Who would not be eligible for the aggregation program, if it’s passed? Consumers who are not customers of AEP or Columbia Gas, people who are enrolled in the PIP assistance program, or people who are currently in a contract with a third-party supplier.
“The whole purpose of this program is to save folks money,” Dysard said.
PIP customers are receiving more than what would be availbe than those on the aggregate list, so they would not be eligible.
Those consumers in a contract with a third-party supplier would likely have to break a contract and pay early termination fees to immediately opt-in on the program. However, if they would like to complete their contract then opt-in on the program, they can.
Also not eligible for the program are those in the county’s incorporated villages or Green Township, which already has energy aggregation in place.
“This would not include the villages hre in Scioto County,” Davis said. “They would not be part of this either, but could be in the future if this is voted on and they would want to come on board. They would have to have separate issues of their own.”
Dysard said the program’s 12-, 24-, or 36-month contract would offer three main advantages to local energy consumers. First, is a fixed price for the length of the contract. That means being able to budget accurately each month.
Second, there would be no added fees to opt out.
“Nobody is stuck. Nobody has to be in the program, you can get out any time,” Dysard said. “What we historically see is people opting into the program.”
Lastly, Dysard said, there’s peace of mind and no phone call pitches from unknown energy sellers or worries about accidentally signing up for something. This is particularly a problem that may concern seniors or those who care for them.
“Over the phone, if someone happens to give their account number that’s as good as signing you up for something,” Dysard said. “You know exactly what you’re getting into.”
