Barrington Answers FAQs on Electrical Aggregation

The is providing residents with information on electrical aggregation as the March 20 referendum nears.

The referendum will ask voters, “Shall the Village of Barrington have the authority to arrange for the supply of electricity for its residential and small commercial retail customers who have not opted out of such program?”

The village board voted to place the referendum on the ballot at its Dec. 12 meeting. At the Jan. 23 meeting, Public Works Director Dennis Burmeister made a presentation on electrical aggregation.

Burmeister explained that, as a result of deregulation, municipalities can pool or aggregate together the electrical supply load of its residents and small businesses with the goal to seek a more competitive rate.

 “The village of Barrington is not going to be first village to do this.  Currently, there are 19 communities that have completed the process.  In each of those cases, the communities were successful in getting a rate lower than the ComEd rate,” Burmeister said.  

Burmeister pointed out some highlights that residents should know about electrical aggregation.

• If the referendum is approved and the village moves forward with electrical aggregation, each resident still has the choice to participate or not.  “This program is really about choice,” Burmeister said.

• Residents will still receive bills from ComEd. Burmeister said the bills shouldn’t look any different, except for a lower rate.

• ComEd still maintains the power lines and ComEd is the one to call when there is a power outage.

Residents can find a list of Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs) about electrical aggregation on the village website.

Burmeister invites residents to contact him with questions at 847‐304‐3364, dburmeister@barrington‐il.gov