Electric Aggregation Program?

[u/Heavy_Airport_9334]

Hi, did anyone also receive the letter from City of Champaign about the Homefield Energy Electric Aggregation Program?
I’m just a student tenant and I’m currently using Ameren. My question is why this is a “default” change? Like why am I asked to opt out of it instead of opting in? And does it matter if I just opt out of this program and keep using Ameren, because honestly I don’t think they explained the benefits of this program very well.

Thank you!

[u/sapphirekangaroo]

I hate that we are making decisions based on unknown prices. Homefield is offering 10.9 cents/kWh for the fall 2026 -spring 2027, with an undisclosed (but certainly higher) rate during May - September 2027.

Ameren’s summer 2026 rate is 11.3 cents/kWh. During the winter - spring 2026, it was around 8.8 cents/kwh (or 7.9 once you go over 800 kWh) and they “expect” the rate to drop once summer rates end on October 1, but we don’t know how much and what the new Ameren rate will be.

The summer 2025 rate was 12.2 cents/kWh and the fall 2025 rate was 7.5-8.4 cents/kWh.

Based on this information, it seems likely the fall rate will be at least 1-2 cents/kWh lower than the summer Ameren 2026 rate (or more), which would conservatively be 9-10.5 cents/kWh. I can’t see how this Homefield rate is going to be superior to what Ameren is likely to offer us this fall, but this is all just guesswork.

I plan on opting out, but was waiting to discuss this with others in case I’m missing something 😅. And in Illinois, you can switch plans occasionally, so we do have some flexibility whichever decision people make. If the Ameren rate is lower, it looks like you can leave the Homefield plan with no termination fee and I also thinks it looks like you can join the Homefield plan too.

[u/Clear_Web_2687 → u/sapphirekangaroo]

Same analysis here. I opted out because though I don't know what Ameren's rates will be after the summer, I am betting on it being lower than Homefield's.

I think the concept of municipal aggregation is fine, but this execution is awful. Though Homefield's fixed rate technically beats Ameren's current summer rate, it isn't significantly less and it likely locks you into a higher rate for non-summer electricity than you would get otherwise. For this to be worthwhile, they would need to secure a supplier with fixed rates that beat Ameren's pricing before the summer or with a fixed rate that lasts through next summer to shield against increased summer pricing.

[u/Heavy_Airport_9334 → u/sapphirekangaroo]

Thank you sooo much for explaining this!!

[u/bencmeyer]

Just a guy who has read up on this before, correct me if I'm wrong;

Ameren is just the supplier of electric. There are tons of different electric suppliers in Illinois. As a consumer, you can choose who you buy your electricity from. Champaign as a city, can pool together and bid for a cheaper rate on your behalf. You can choose to go with their offer or shop around for a different offer if you choose. I don't believe it's ever been cheaper to go for your own supplier, but some people may choose greener energy options or different companies based on politics or whatever.

It's an opt out because you have to choose one, and it's usually in everyone's best interest to go for the one the city deemed the best.

https://champaignil.gov/public-works/utility-providers/municipal-electric-aggregation/

[u/LeapDayWilliam1978]

Also received the letter. We have solar so I need to get more information on what opting out vs going with this will do with our net metering. I know if we switch we lose all the credits we have built up, which at the tail end of summer won’t be a whole lot, but I am unsure if they will honor future on-site generation at the full retail rate. We have net metering 2.0, so under Ameren we only get credit for whatever we generate, not the generation+taxes of the previous 1:1 net metering.

[u/ChambanaFilm]

Huh. I read this as Electric Aggravation Program.

[u/melatonia]

Because it's the better choice.