We just received the updated capacity rate for our communities from Homefield Energy. As expected, the annual capacity auction cleared at a high rate and significantly impacted the rate. Please keep in mind, the capacity portion is a pass-through component and will affect Ameren customers as well. Ameren’s price to compare (PTC) will not be posted on Plug in Illinois until June 1st, however the aggregation opt out letters will be mailed to your community's eligible accounts from Homefield Energy on May 27th.
As you well know, Ameren does not have to notify their customers of a future rate change like the aggregations do. However, Ameren has filed their summer rates which start June 1st while the new higher aggregation rate does not start until July's meter read dates. Ameren's filed summer rate which covers the higher usage summer months from June 1 through October 1 will be $0.12547 while the new aggregation program rate will be $0.11928 from July through December 1st.
For Immediate Release
Clinton, IL, May 29, 2025 – Clinton’s municipal aggregation program rate has been adjusted to reflect the higher capacity component. Capacity is determined each year through the planning resource auction, conducted in April. Based on the remaining term of the program’s contract with Homefield Energy through December 1, 2025, the average program rate is less than Ameren’s average rate over the same term period.
The goals of the aggregation program are to provide more stability and to protect residents and small business owners from large increases in electricity supply costs. Since July 2023, in partnership with their energy consultant, Good Energy, LP, Clinton has been participating under a 24-month contract with Homefield Energy, which locked all components of energy supply cost, except for capacity (passed through without markup each July to participating customers). With the updated capacity adjustment, the new City program rate from July 1, 2025, to December 1, 2025, will be $0.11928 per kilowatt-hour (kWh). Likewise, Ameren was also affected by the same results of the recent capacity auction. As a result, Ameren recently filed its summer rate with the Illinois Commerce Commission (ICC) at $0.12547 per kWh, beginning June 1, 2025, through September 2025. Ameren account holders who enroll in the Program will see considerable savings during the summer months, the highest usage months of the year. Small commercial accounts (15,000 kWh or less/year) will enjoy even larger savings with Ameren’s small commercial rate climbing to $0.14580 per kWh. The municipal aggregation program was approved by voters in 2013 and has been in effect for nearly 13 years. The Program is designed to give residents an additional option when shopping for an electric supplier and provides insurance and protection against any potential spikes in the energy market. Longer-term fixed rates provide budget stability for participants. In 2022 and early 2023, the program rate kept the cost of electric supply well below Ameren’s rates for residents of Clinton. During that period, Ameren’s rate went above 12 cents per kWh while the program rate was substantially lower at just $0.04948 per kWh. The City’s aggregation program has been extremely popular with residents and small commercial account holders, resulting in participation rates as high as 90 percent.
· Municipal aggregation was voted on and approved by public referendum in April 2013.
· The opt-out program structure was approved by state legislators in 2010. Opt-out letters that detail the Program are required to be sent to eligible account holders anytime there is a change in rate, term, or supplier. Ameren, conversely, is not required to provide any notice before rate changes occur and can adjust its rates at any time. The program’s fully-fixed rate will remain unchanged during the remaining term of the current agreement, July 2025 through December 2025.
· Please be advised that if you previously opted out of the Program and receive an opt-out notice this period, this is because Illinois law stipulates that you must opt out again if you do not wish to participate.
· By state regulatory requirements the opt out letter states eligible account holders have a 21-day opt-out period. However, the required language is somewhat ambiguous since account holders can opt out at any time during the opt out period, or any time after the opt out period, without any penalty or fees.
· The Program is designed to give residents an additional electricity supply choice while providing budget stability and protection from spikes in the cost of their electricity.
· If a participating account holder opts out of the Program and returns to Ameren Basic Generation Service (BGS), they must select a new supplier within 60 days, or they will revert to Ameren’s default supply for a total of one year. This is known as BGS Hold and is an Ameren requirement.
· The Ameren supply rate can change throughout the year and has done so nearly 30 times over the past 12 years, while the aggregation rate has changed less than 10 times during the same period.
· The new aggregation rate for the City is $0.11928 per kWh will be effective with Ameren’s July meter read date, while Ameren’s higher summer rate will start June 1. Keep in mind that the current rate posted on Ameren’s website and the ICC’s consumer website, Plug in Illinois, may not reflect Ameren’s new higher rate of $0.12547 per kWh until June 1, 2025. The City’s energy consultant, Good Energy, LP, strongly suggests waiting for Ameren to post the new rates before considering opting out.
· Based on the remaining term of the program’s contract with Homefield Energy through December 1, the average program rate is less than Ameren’s average rate over the same term period.
· Residents may opt out of the Program by mailing back the pre-paid postage opt-out card sent by the supplier, Homefield Energy, or by calling Homefield Energy at (833) 200-9834. Eligible account holders may also opt out via Homefield Energy’s online site: Homefieldenergy.com/optout.
· For additional information, please contact the City’s consultant, Good Energy, at (844) 686-4244.