The Northeast Ohio Public Energy Council [NOPEC] has sent letters to 630,000 residential customers letting them know the aggregator is back in business.
NOPEC last year faced a pricing crisis in electricity markets and decided to release its customers from its aggregation service in more than 200 local communities. NOPEC dropped 550,000 customers after electricity rates spiked.
Customers then were put back on the default suppliers, including Houston-based Dynegy, which later filed a complaint with Ohio regulators.
The Public Utilities Commission of Ohio [PUCO] investigation stretched for nearly seven months.
NOPEC spokesperson Dave Jankowski said the case was resolved in March with no findings of wrongdoing, so NOPEC has now let customers know they can stay or opt out of its electricity aggregation service.
“They (PUCO) found we broke no rules, we broke no laws, we broke no regulations, we broke no agreements with our communities,” Jankowski said.
Now the volatile energy market that nearly swamped NOPEC is benefiting its consumers, and Jankowski said NOPEC reentered the market at just the right time.
“By the time we got recertified to provide electricity, the markets had settled back down, so we were buying in March when the markets were more reasonable,” he said.
Other suppliers purchased their energy at higher rates earlier than March, so many of their customers could see much higher electricity bills.
Jankowski said customers that stick with NOPEC will pay half the default rate this summer.
“You will naturally go into the aggregation and you’ll be protected from that spike. You’ll be on that 6.45 cent rate,” he said.
The deadline to choose a supplier — or if already a NOPEC customer, opt out — is May 2.
Customers can compare rates online at energychoice.ohio.gov.
