Village of Syracuse Voters Consider Electric Aggregation Measure in 2020 General Election

Village of Syracuse Voters Consider Electric Aggregation Measure in 2020 General Election

SYRACUSE, Ohio – Syracuse voters will be deciding on an opt-out electric aggregation measure on the November 3, 2020, General Election.

Voters living in the Village of Syracuse will decide if they will authorize their local government to aggregate, or bundle, the electric load of all eligible residential and small business electricity accounts to see if a competitive retail electric supplier (CRES) can offer a competitive rate on the generation/supply portion of everyone’s electric bill — and allowing residents to opt-out if an electric aggregation program is created.

SOPEC Syracuse educational webpage: https://www.sopec-oh.gov/syracuse
Leading up to the primary election, SOPEC will be providing educational materials in various ways to assist residents in understanding the measure, its language, and to provide resources about electric aggregation in Ohio.

As described on the Public Utilities Commission of Ohio website: “…local Ohio communities are allowed, by law, to join their citizens together to buy electricity as a group and thereby gain “buying power” to solicit the lowest price for the group’s electricity needs.”

What will voters see on their ballot? The following is the language of the measure on the ballot.

Shall the Village of Syracuse have the authority to aggregate the retail electricity loads located within the incorporated areas of the Village and enter into service agreements for the sale and purchase of electricity, such aggregation to occur automatically except where any person elects to opt-out?
YES – I WILL ALLOW AGGREGATION | NO – I WILL NOT ALLOW AGGREGATION

According to a statement from SOPEC, it is a leading public electricity aggregator in the region, serving 18 communities in Southeast Ohio and representing over 75,000 people. If a community passes electric aggregation on their local ballot, they can join SOPEC. SOPEC can arrange, as part of a Master Supply Agreement, opt-out electric aggregation programs for the communities it serves, which automatically enrolls all eligible residents unless they were to individually opt-out of the program (decide not to participate).

If aggregation is in place in a community, residents on income-based payment plans (Ohio PIPP), those already in a supply contract, or those served electricity by a rural electric cooperative would not be affected by electric aggregation — those customers stay as-is. Residents in an aggregation pool can still enroll in budget billing (AEP Ohio’s average monthly billing) and the electric distribution utility (AEP Ohio) continues to handle billing, electric power delivery, power outages, and line maintenance.

According to the statement, “SOPEC is a non-profit service organization that provides energy planning services to improve public infrastructure, save taxpayer money, and advocate for consumer rights and protection. Member communities that join SOPEC collaborate on regional energy issues at no cost to local governments.”