The City of Cleveland's Community Choice Aggregation is Here for a Second Year!

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CALL 1-888-733-8512

*Updated 10/01/2024

Through collaboration with Cleveland City Council, SOPEC (Sustainable Ohio Public Energy Council) will continue to provide the Electric Aggregation Program for the City of Cleveland. Cleveland customers in FirstEnergy/Illuminating Company utility territory can enjoy a competitive fixed rate of 6.762 cents/kWh for electricity supply backed by 100% renewable energy for a 12-month term (August 2024 through July 2025).

In the program's first year, SOPEC was able to secure a very competitive default fixed rate for the electricity supply, backed by 100% Green-e certified Renewable Energy Credits (RECs). The first year of the program has saved Cleveland residents and small businesses over $13M or approximately $250 per enrolled account when compared to the default utility supply rate or Standard Service Offer (SSO).

For the second year of the program, eligible residents and small businesses in the City of Cleveland can enjoy a competitive fixed rate of 6.762 cents ($0.06762) per kWh of electricity supply backed by 100% renewable energy for a 12-month term beginning with their August 2024 meter read. This program continues to offer significant benefits to Cleveland residents compared to the current utility supply rate of 8.56 cents per kWh (valid from October 1, 2024 through December 31, 2024; rate varies throughout the year).

Eligible Cleveland residents and small businesses will receive program letters from SOPEC that outline the community choice aggregation program, including step-down and opt-out pathways. For questions related to the program, contact SOPEC at 1-888-733-8512.

What is Community Choice Aggregation?

Community Choice Aggregation (CCA) is the opportunity for the City to provide residents with an alternative "choice" to the default electricity supplier that the utility company uses. CCA programs are not mandatory, residents can opt-out if they wish. This is an optional service that the City provides to its residents, and this is how it works:

Electricity utility bills have two parts:

A usage fee to move electricity through its wires and;
A supply fee for the actual flow of electricity through its wires.

In Ohio, everyone has the option to shop for their own supply

CCA programs allow for the City to combine or “aggregate” the electricity supply for residential and small businesses into one bulk amount. This is then used to carefully select an alternative choice to the default electricity supplier that the utility company uses.
The benefit of combining (or aggregating) into a bulk amount is that this method is more likely to provide a better electricity product at a more stable price than residents could achieve on their own.

Want to learn more about the electricity aggregation program? SOPEC staff will be attending the following events:

*There are currently no dates, please check back at a later time.

Cleveland residents with low-household incomes are encouraged to apply for utility assistance. Various options are available:

If you are a low-income household experiencing high-energy burdens, we encourage you to enroll in utility assistance programs to help manage energy costs.

The Summer Crisis Program is an assistance program that provides cooling and electric utility assistance during the summer months. Applications open from July 1, 2024 thru September 30 2024. To apply for Summer Crisis Program an appointment is required, you must meet one of the following criteria:
- Have a household member of 60 years of age and older or;
- Have a household member who can provide physician documentation that cooling assistance is needed for a household member's health or;
- Households that have a disconnect notice, services have been shut-off, or are trying to establish new electric services, or;
- Enrolling in Percentage of Income Payment Plan (PIPP) for the first time or have a PIPP default.
Enroll into PIPP (Percentage of Income Payment Payment Plan). This program helps Ohioans afford utility bills through subsidies. Applications are accepted year-round and can be submitted online at https://bit.ly/OhioEnergyAssistance, no appointment is required. PIPP applications can take up to 12-13 weeks to process.
HEAP (Home Energy Assistance Program) is a federally funded program that provides a one-time payment to low-income households to help them pay their home heating and cooling costs. HEAP benefits can be combined with PIPP benefits. Applications open from July 1, 2024 thru May 31, 2025 and can be submitted online at https://bit.ly/OhioEnergyAssistance, no appointment is required.

To schedule an appointment or for application assistance, residents can do so online or call 216-350-8008:

CHN Housing Partners (prompt 1) or online: https://chn.itfrontdesk.com/apptonline/landing.html?client_code=CHNHOUSE
Step Forward (prompt 2) or online: https://stepforward.itfrontdesk.com/apptonline/landing.html?client_code=STEPFRWD

I am a Cleveland Public Power (CPP) customer, do I need to do anything?
No, CPP customers are NOT eligible for this program and no action is required.

I am a FirstEnergy/Illuminating Company customer, how do I enroll?
No action is required, all eligible customers will be automatically enrolled in the program. If you are currently contracted with an independent energy supplier, you were not automatically enrolled, but you are eligible and can call 1-888-733-8512 to enroll.

How do I know if I am eligible to participate in the new program?
Cleveland customers in FirstEnergy / Illuminating Company utility territory are automatically eligible, however, there are two exceptions:

Customers enrolled in PIPP are not affected by rate increases, as their bills are based on household income and consistent year-round.
Customers that are currently contracted with an independent energy supplier will not be automatically enrolled to participate. These customers are eligible and can call 1-888-733-8512 to enroll.

Can I still participate if I am already contracted with another energy supplier?

You may be able to withdraw from your current supplier with an early or no termination fee, but please check with your supplier directly. Once your contract ends and if you match the program's eligibility criteria you will be automatically enrolled in the City's electricity aggregation program. There is no cost to enroll in the program and there are no fees to leave the SOPEC program. If you are unsure of your status, please call 1-888-733-8512.

What do I do if I receive solicitations (door knocks, phone calls, etc...) from independent energy suppliers?

We advise that you NOT to sign anything, write down the representative's name, company information, and immediately contact PUCO at 800-686-7876. These companies are not apart of the City's community choice aggregation program and could lock you into an unreasonable contract.

If the PUCO does confirm an electricity supplier is certified, and you do not want to join the City of Cleveland's aggregation program, we strongly recommend that you ask a number of questions of any electricity supplier you talk to:

Are you offering a fixed rate electricity supply contract to me?
What is that fixed rate price?
How long will that fixed rate last? 1 month? 6 months? A year? What happens to my price after that?
If I agree to a contract with you, can I end that contract without an early termination fee or other fees to join my city’s community choice aggregation program at a later date?

What are my other options?

If you choose to opt-out, you will default to the utility’s Price to Compare (8.56 cents per kWh from October 1, 2024 through December 31, 2024; rate varies throughout the year). If residents prefer not to be automatically enrolled into the city's program, they can visit the Public Utilities Commission of Ohio (PUCO) Apples to Apples electricity comparison webpage or call 800-686-7826 for more information on finding their own supplier. Other questions to ask are listed on the PUCO website - https://puco.ohio.gov/utilities/electricity/resources/choosing-an-electric-supplier

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