For a list of Frequently Asked Questions, please view AEP's FAQ handout.
Additional Questions
Why do we have to opt
out instead of opt
in to this program?
In the March 2014 Primary Election, voters in unincorporated Kane County, with the exclusion of Aurora and Dundee Townships, were presented with this Referendum question: "Shall the County of Kane have the authority to arrange for the supply of electricity for its residential and small commercial retail customers who have not opted out of such program?" A majority (55.2%) voted "yes," enabling the County, pursuant to Section 1-92 of the Illinois Power Agency Act, 20 ILCS 3855/1-92, to establish an opt out program for the aggregation of electric loads of residential and small commercial retail customers.
By 2010, roughly 80% of commercial (huge load) electric accounts in Illinois were taking advantage of the deregulated electric supply industry and had discovered the ability to seek competitive market bids to significantly reduce costs. At that time, barely 3% of residential customers were seeking lower-cost electric supply. To enable customers to have the same advantage as large corporations, universities, manufacturers, etc., Governor Quinn signed the 2009 amendment to the IL Power Agency Act enabling communities to band together in an attempt to pool their electric load to seek lower-cost pricing.
Residential customers seeking lower costs individually are typically unable to achieve the significant cost savings made available through the group buying process of electric aggregation programs. Therefore, the County voters approved the Referendum question, enabling competitive bids to be received. By law, this is an opt-out program. All eligible ratepayers (who are not enrolled on their own with alternative electric suppliers), will be enrolled unless they take action to opt out. Any ratepayer may, at any time, leave the program, and will never incur a termination fee.
Will I be paying the same fees to two different companies?
No, the fixed all-inclusive rate for the electric aggregation program replaces ComEd's electric supply charge + transmission rate + PEA fee. You will continue to pay the same Delivery Service Charges to ComEd regardless of whether you purchase your electric supply from ComEd or through the electric aggregation program.
Is the solicitor that came to my door part of Kane County's aggregation program?
Definitely not. No representative from Kane County or AEP Energy will solicit residents door-to-door or over the phone to be part of this program, nor will Kane County or AEP Energy ever ask for your ComEd account number. If a solicitor claims to represent Kane County's electric aggregation program, residents are encouraged to obtain the solicitor's contact information and file a complaint with the Illinois Commerce Commission by calling the ICC Consumer Services Division complaint line at 1-800-524-0795 or visiting https://www.icc.illinois.gov/consumer/complaint/.
Won't this program hurt ComEd financially? Does participating in this program mean ComEd won't provide the same level of service to me?
Customers who switch to another supplier will see no change in their electricity delivery service from ComEd. ComEd will still deliver electricity to every home and business in Northern Illinois, no matter the choice of supplier. ComEd's process for prioritizing restoration after service interruptions, such as storms, will remain the same. ComEd does not generate any electricity. The company's role is to deliver electricity to every home and business in Northern Illinois. For customers who get electricity supply from ComEd, the company buys electricity in the competitive wholesale market and passes it through to customers at cost. ComEd is not financially impacted when customers choose to buy their electricity from alternative suppliers because ComEd does not make money on the electricity itself. Visit
ComEd's aggregation website for more information.
Is there a different rate for an all-electric home?
No. There used to be a different, lower rate offered by ComEd to electric-space heat homes. That was permanently discontinued as of June 1, 2013, and those rate payers now receive the same rate as all other residential accounts.
