North Shore Towns Start State's Largest Electricity 'Price Match'

HIGHLAND PARK, IL — Six North Shore towns will resume the state's largest electricity aggregation program in October after a four-year pause. According to the cities and villages, the program will generate $1.6 million in revenue over the coming three years at no additional cost to buyers of electricity.

Deerfield, Highland Park, Lake Bluff, Lake Forest, Northbrook and Skokie first began banding together to arrange for alternative electricity suppliers as the North Shore Electricity Aggregation Consortium in 2012. During the five years that followed, the partnership saved residents tens of millions of dollars.

But in 2017, the program put on hold after because it was no longer economical. That changed earlier this year, and the consortium put out a request for proposals, eventually selecting MC Squared Energy Services, the same company with which it contracted previously — and the same one that partners with the consortium on a separate community solar program.

The $1.6 million will come from a grant from Chicago-based MC Squared and be divided between the cities and villages, who announced plans to use the money to fund local sustainability initiatives.

For instance, Deerfield village staff said they plan to purchase renewable energy credits that will offset more than 48 percent of energy used by homes and small businesses in town, while Skokie staff announced pans to conduct an inventory of greenhouse gas emissions, develop a new sustainability plan and convert streetlights to energy-saving LED bulbs.

Residents and small commercial customers in each community will get letters about the program and will have the chance to opt out of the price-matching program, according to the cities and villages.

Customers whose suppliers change will pay the same rate as they would with ComEd, which will still be responsible for billing, electricity delivery and customer service, according to the release. There will be no door-to-door solicitation and no phone calls to customers about the program.

“We have a long history of working collaboratively with our peers. We are excited for this opportunity to continue our partnership which will enable The City of Lake Forest to further invest in our sustainability goals without impacting the electricity supply rates for our residents,” said Lake Forest Mayor George Pandaleon, in a statement. “This program will afford the City dedicated resources that can be used to support various projects to reduce our environmental impact within the region."