Second round of aggregation coming up

DAVE MOSIER/independent editor

American Electric Power customers in Van Wert County who saved money on their electrical bills by being a part of electrical aggregation the past two years can do so again … basically by doing nothing.

According to Larry Clouse, county commissioners’ clerk, FirstEnergy has agreed to provide the same 5.85 cents per kilowatt-hour rate it did under the first aggregation agreement. The new agreement will begin April 1 and would end in March 2017.

Clouse said that, per state regulation, “opt out” letters have been sent out by FirstEnergy for the next two-year round of electric power aggregation. The rate applies only to electric generation costs, while AEP will continue to provide electric transmission and maintenance services to their customers. Both generation and transmission charges will appear on the bills of AEP customers who participate in the aggregation program, as is the case now.

Also according to Clouse, some AEP customers were apparently missed in the initial two-year aggregation agreement. Any AEP customers that feel they qualify for aggregation, but do not receive an “opt out” letter by Wednesday, February 26, can call FirstEnergy customer service at 866.636.3749 if they want to receive the discounted rate.

Customers under contract to another electric provider will not receive “opt out” letters, Clouse noted, although he added that those county residents can also join the aggregation program, but should see first whether they would be penalized for withdrawing early from their current contracts.

Voters in the city of Van Wert, villages of Convoy and Middle Point and Harrison, Jackson, Jennings, Liberty, Pleasant, Ridge, Union, Washington and York townships voted to adopt the current aggregation program more than two years ago.

For more information, call the above FirstEnergy toll-free telephone number.