Maumee's and NOAC's goal is to save residential and small business consumers money on their energy purchases when compared to the public utility offering.

Since its inception, the NOAC communities have collectively saved over $38 million compared to what they would have paid the Toledo Edison alone. This was achieved by contracting for the energy supply or 'generation' with a supplier other than Toledo Edison.

The programs for Gas and Electricity are "Opt-Out" programs meaning the all customers are included unless they "opt-out" (and, provided they have not signed up with another supplier and that their balance is current at the time of the periodic enrollment).

Electric Utility Opt-out notices that were mailed in July, 2009, by FirstEnergy Solutions announcing the recent aggregation plan negotiated by the Northwest Ohio Aggregation Coalition (NOAC). This plan requires customers do nothing to be included in the City's governmental aggregation program. Maumee City Council has reviewed and approved the pricing under this program after responses were received from various suppliers of electrical power generated for consumers.

The best offer (~4% less than the Toledo Edison rate) was from FirstEnergy's subsidiary "FirstEnergy Solutions". The only other supplier at this time is Toledo Edison. This program reduces the Toledo Edison bill for the typical residence an average of $30 to $40 per year and is effective through May 2011. Since this is an "opt-out" aggregation plan, you do not need to do anything to enjoy the benefits of the program. Residents who received an "Opt-Out Notice" from FirstEnergy Solutions will automatically be enrolled in the program unless they respond to that notice. All accounts will still get monthly invoices from Toledo Edison. The only thing customers will probably notice is a small amount of savings and that the supplier name (FirstEnergy Solutions) will be listed. This arrangement will be in place through March 2010.

Customers who do not Opt-Out will get a notice from Toledo Edison that the supplier switch is being made. This is a required notice to assure the customer is aware the change in power supplier to NOAC has been recorded.

There is an additional proposal to change the Distribution portion of the Toledo Edison billing rates. The Ohio Public Utilities Commission previously approved an increase in the distribution cost and also has approved deferral of those costs by spreading out the charges over 25 years. FirstEnergy now has proposed to begin the payback of deferred charges ahead of schedule in light of the savings noted above in the generation portion. This would avoid interest and carrying charges stretching over 25 years and save hundreds of millions of dollars for consumers. The PUCO is set to consider this proposal in September 2009. The rate increase proposed for distribution is slightly less than the savings gained in the generation portion of the rates. Should this be approved, electric bills would be affected during the non-summer months (typically the period of lower bills). Rate increases for distribution would nearly offset the savings created in the 'generation' portion of the bill. The combined change would be a slight decrease in rates.

Natural Gas 
In February, NOAC selected IGS Energy (Interstate Gas Supply, Inc.) as the gas supplier for NOAC communities in northwest Ohio. This, too, is an Opt-Out program. IGS Energy sent notices to all eligible gas customers in NOAC communities announcing an Opt-Out opportunity. Those residential and small commercial accounts that did not Opt-Out are now being supplied gas by IGS Energy. The cost of the gas is included in the billing from Columbia Gas. The price for this gas is 3.5¢ per CCF less than the Columbia price. The NOAC rate will fluctuate as the Columbia price does and always be 3.5¢ less than Columbia's rate. This arrangement is in place through March 2010, at which time a new arrangement will be negotiated. IGS Energy also markets contracts independent of the NOAC program offering fixed and variable rates at one or two year terms. The NOAC (and the City's) program is identified by the supplier name "IGS Energy (NOAC)"

Office of the Ohio Consumers' Counsel

A great resource for consumers - the Consumer Assistance Handbook.  This handbook provides information about how to read and understand your utility bills and utility meters; information on utility assistance programs and energy efficiency.  There's also a resource list with information about other agencies and organizations.  To view the handbook on line, go to: www.pickocc.org/publications/handbook  

The utility billing process can cause confusion or concern.  You can call the Office of the Ohio Consumers' Counsel (OCC) toll-free hotline for help with your utility disputes or questions.  If you have a complaint or question about charges on your telephone bill, a meter reading problem or you need additional information about your utility service, the OCC can help.

Customer Service Representatives can be reached toll-free at 1-877-PICKOCC (742-5622) or by email at: occ@occ.state.oh.us and are to respond to consumers' questions about utility services.

You can access utility information 24 hours a day, seven days a week through the OCC's automated Call Center.  The Call Center's active voice response system allows consumers to, among many other options, request materials about specific utility issues, such as participating in natural gas choice programs and selecting a long distance telephone provider.  You can also request free consumer assistance publications.  The OCC website is another helpful alternative:  www.pickocc.org 

Public Utilities Commission of Ohio

Information is available from the PUCO’s website including ‘Apples-to-Apples Comparisons” and calculation worksheets.    Go to http://www.puco.ohio.gov/puco/applestoapples/

Updated 08/17/09