Politics & Government

What's Next For Your Power Bills

Voters on Tuesday passed a measure that will make electrical aggregation a reality for Mokena. What does that mean for you and your power bill?

Voters on Tuesday passed .

The process should take a few months, but the village hopes to get a cheaper rate by late summer or early fall.

"We're starting on what we need to do," Assistant Village Administrator Kirk Zoellner said. "We've just got some work to do and we're getting to it."

Find out what's happening in Mokenawith free, real-time updates from Patch.

Here's what that means for you.

What's electrical aggregation?

ComEd is a wire company. ComEd chose a supplier to provide them the electricity, which it then gets to your home and business.

Find out what's happening in Mokenawith free, real-time updates from Patch.

Electrical aggregation, which the state Legislature approved last year, lets towns and counties shop around for a provider with a better deal. If they find a better deal, they switch over to that provider on your behalf. If the provider ComEd chose has the best rate, they stick with that.

I live outside Mokena

If you live in unincorporated Will County, nothing will change. .

The original bill that approved aggregation requires areas where residents voted against aggregation to run it as an opt-in program. You don't have to get in on this, but you can if you want.

I live in Mokena but don't want this

Don't want this? You can opt out at any time. In fact, you can already opt out of the supplier ComEd chose.

How do I opt out?

The Citizens Utility Board and the Illinois Commerce Commission offer resources for residents and small businesses to find their own provider online.

I live in Mokena and want in

If you want to see the rate the village negotiates with another provider, do nothing. It will happen.

What's the timeline?

First come two public hearings to discuss this. The village must notify residents of the time and place of the hearings at least two weeks in advance in a general circulation newspaper in Mokena.

After that, the village must come up with a plan for running the electrical aggregation program. Then they go out for bid.

The village hopes to solicit bids for the new supplier by mid-summer and have the cheaper power going to your home or business by fall at the latest.

Once the new supplier is selected, the supplier will contact all customers to let them know about the switch and about opt-out options.

For more on electrical aggregation read the original bill that approved it.


Get more local news delivered straight to your inbox. Sign up for free Patch newsletters and alerts.

We’ve removed the ability to reply as we work to make improvements. Learn more here