Wilmette to Host Electrical Aggregation Plan Hearings

Wilmette will be hosting two public hearings on an electrical aggregation program during regular board meetings on May 8 and 22.

On March 20, Wilmette and Kenilworth voters authorized the villages to seek cheaper electricity supply for residential and commercial retail customers who have not opted out of the program.

Even if the village selects a new electricity supplier, Commonwealth Edison would still be dealing with power distribution and handling monthly bills for Wilmette and Kenilworth residents. Residents would still call ComEd if services were interrupted.

The villages of Wilmette and Kenilworth have formed the Lakeshore Power Alliance and will be working with Illinois Community Choice Aggregation Network on the electrical aggregation program.

Draft Plan Details

The draft plan recommends giving residents 21 days to opt-out of the program. Residents would receive notices of the electrical aggregation program in the mail and will have 21 days from the postmark date on the notice to mail the Opt-Out card back to the selected supplier.

Residents who enroll in the program will not be charged termination, enrollment or switching fees, according to the draft plan.

The draft plans also recommends selecting an electricity supplier that uses a minimum of 7 percent renewable energy resources as required by the State of Illinois.

Going Green Wilmette, a local nonprofit that supports creating a sustainable environment, has been urging the Village Boards of Wilmette and Kenilworth to go beyond the minimum renewable energy resource required and to take environmental costs into consideration when selecting an electricity supplier.

“The low upfront costs from aging coal and nuclear plants are enticing in this time of economic hardship, but it is important to not lose sight of all the hidden costs already paid in the form of government subsidies to environmentally harmful energy sources and the higher expenditures for health care as a result of pollution,”.

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