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Ohio and Illinois · Electric

Should I opt out of electric aggregation? A plain guide

By Dr. Matthew Crowley

· 7 min read

Checked against: Apples to Apples (energychoice.ohio.gov) and Plug In Illinois (plugin.illinois.gov). How we get our prices

This guide is about Ohio and Illinois. Judy checks bills in 18 states. Find your state's rules

A letter comes from your city, village or county. It says everyone in town is being signed up for a new electric supplier, unless you opt out by a date. Should you stay in, or opt out?

There's no single right answer. It depends on the price, the fine print, and your own bill. This guide walks you through the decision in a few questions. It's written for Ohio and Illinois, where these town programs are most common, and the same questions work in other states.

To find your town's price, see the NOPEC price for your town, our list of Ohio town electric programs or our list of Illinois town electric programs.

First, what you're deciding

  • Staying in (doing nothing): your town's supplier sells you the electricity at the program's price. Your utility still delivers it, reads the meter and sends the bill. Your power doesn't change.
  • Opting out: you keep your utility's standard price (or the supplier you already have).

Either way, you can usually change your mind later. So the goal is a good choice for now, not a perfect one forever.

Watch the deadline. In Ohio, the rule gives you at least 21 days from the postmark on the town's letter. In Illinois, the opt-out date must be at least 21 days after the letter's postmark. The exact date is printed on your letter.

Question 1: Does the program even include you?

Some homes are left out on their own:

  • You already have a supplier contract. In Ohio, the PUCO says those customers aren't eligible and shouldn't get the opt-out letter. In Illinois, the town's supplier can't move you unless you choose to join. (If you switched to a supplier only recently, the PUCO says your name may still be on the town's list. Send back the opt-out form if you don't want to be moved.)
  • You're on PIPP Plus (Ohio). PIPP Plus customers aren't eligible for Ohio town programs.

If one of these fits you, the letter isn't for you. You can stop here.

Question 2: Is the program's price lower than your standard price?

This is the big one. Find two numbers, both in cents per kilowatt-hour (kWh):

  1. The program's price. It's on the letter. Our town pages show it too: start from the Ohio towns page or the Illinois towns page.
  2. Your utility's standard price, called the Price to Compare. It's on your bill, and on our utility pages: AEP Ohio, Ohio Edison, The Illuminating Company, Toledo Edison, Duke Energy Ohio, AES Ohio, ComEd and Ameren Illinois.

If the program's price is higher, staying in costs you money for as long as that's true. Opting out is the simpler choice.

If it's lower, keep going.

One catch: the standard price changes during the year. Check when your utility's price changes next (each utility page has a "what changes next" link). A program price that beats the standard price today may not beat it after the next change, and the other way around.

Question 3: Is the program's price fixed or variable?

  • A fixed price stays the same until a set date. That makes it easy to judge.
  • A variable price can move. Ask how it's set and how often it can change.

Programs differ. In northeast Ohio, NOPEC's standard program price for this year is variable. The SOPEC program in southeast Ohio is fixed. Our town pages say which kind each program has.

Question 4: What does it cost to leave later?

  • Ohio: the law gives you a free chance to leave at least every three years. At other times, the rule lets a program charge a fee only if its letter told you about it. Read the "fees" part of the letter.
  • Illinois: Plug In Illinois, the state's consumer site, says suppliers "are prohibited from applying early termination fees or penalties" to home customers who leave. But if you go back to ComEd or Ameren, you may have to stay with the utility for at least 12 months.

Question 5: Anything else in the fine print?

  • A monthly fee? A few dollars a month can wipe out a small savings.
  • What happens at the end? Ask whether the price renews, and at what price.
  • Going back later (Ohio). Ohio's rule makes the letter say whether, if you leave the program later, you might not get the same price as other utility customers. Read that part before you decide.
  • Renewable power. Some programs buy 100% renewable power. If that matters to you, it's a fair reason to stay in, as long as you're fine with the price.

A quick way to decide

  • The program price is clearly lower, fixed for a while, and free to leave: staying in is usually fine.
  • The program price is higher than your standard price: opting out is usually the better choice.
  • You can't tell, or the price is variable with no clear rule: opt out, keep the standard price, and check again in a few months. You can always pick a supplier or join an opt-in offer later.

None of these is a promise. Prices change, and only your own bill shows what you would pay.

Missed the deadline?

  • Ohio: you get one more chance. Your utility mails its own letter before the switch, and you have 7 days from its postmark to call the utility and stay out. After that, you can still leave under the program's rules. To keep out of town programs for good, ask the PUCO to put you on its Do Not Aggregate list (1-800-686-7826).
  • Illinois: call the supplier on your bill and say you want to leave the town program. There's no fee to leave.

More detail for each state: Ohio energy aggregation: how to opt out and Illinois town electric programs.

Some of the towns on our pages

Don't see your town? A town missing from our list may still have a program. Call your town office and ask, "Do we have an electric aggregation program? Which company?"

Judy Saves is independent. I don't sell electricity, and no supplier or town pays me. I'll never call you or knock on your door.

What to do next

  • Let me compare it for you. Send a photo of your bill to the free bill check. I'll compare the price you pay with your utility's standard price and the offers listed for your area, and tell you what I'd do.
  • Your rights and who to call: the Ohio help page or the Illinois help page.

Sources

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