The Village of Clarendon Hills is seeking interested residents to serve on an electric aggregation advisory committee that would assist the village evaluate different aggregation consultants and alternative suppliers.

The call to action follows the Village Board's June 4 approval of a recommendation by village staff to pursue electric aggregation just as Hinsdale decided to do last year.

"A citizen’s committee would assist the Village in evaluating consultants and electric suppliers," a May 31 memo from village manager Randy Recklaus to village trustees reads. "The committee members would gain expertise in this area and would be able to help evaluate electric aggregation moving forward."

Just as Hinsdale did, the Village of Clarendon Hills will be pursuing an opt-out aggregation model, whereby residents will be automatically included unless they tell the village they're not interested. 

An opt-out program must get the approval of the village's voters by way of a referendum. The next opportunity for a referendum is on the November General Election ballot.

"If a referendum is approved, the municipality can then purchase power for residents and small businesses under a single contract, typically with a bidding process," the Recklaus memo says. "Residents will then have a period of time in which they can choose to 'opt out' of participating in the municipally negotiated electric supply rate."

For more on how opt-out electric aggregation works, see this Patch story from Nov. 28, 2011, around the time Hinsdale officials first expressed interest. 

Hinsdale's residents overwhelmingly passed their referendum on the March General Primary ballot. Based on the recommendation of its consultant, the Northern Illinois Municipal Electric Collaborative (NIMEC), the Village of Hinsdale Board of Trustees on May 1 reached a three-year agreement with alternative supplier Nordic Energy Services for energy purchased at a rate that was approximately 40 percent lower than the ComEd rate at that time.

In Hinsdale, Nordic will not charge early-termination fees and will provide a rate guarantee if ComEd’s rates become lower than Nordic’s in the future. Should ComEd’s rate go below the 4.62 cents-per-kilowatt-hour rate the village agreed to for the next three years, Nordic will have to match that rate or the village will have the option to go back to ComEd.

If Clarendon Hills residents have questions on electric aggregation, they can be directed to assistant to the village manager Christina Burns at cburns@clarendonhills.us or 630-286-5402.

"Those interested in serving on the committee are requested to send a letter stating their interest and qualifications to Village Manager Randy Recklaus at rrecklaus@clarendonhills.us or mail to 1 N. Prospect Avenue, Clarendon Hills, IL, 60514 for consideration by the Village Board," a June 13 village release says.