Politics & Government

Crystal Lake Warns Residents of Electricity Solicitors

City warns residents not to provide solicitors with their ComEd account numbers. Doing so could lead to solicitors switching homeowners to another electrical supplier.

 

Have you been receiving letters in the mail from companies offering lower electricity rates?

Or perhaps a solicitor reached you by telephone or in person?

Find out what's happening in Crystal Lake-Carywith free, real-time updates from Patch.

The city of Crystal Lake has been receiving calls from residents about solicitations they have received from companies seeking to sell electricity to them, according to city officials.

Residents have been contacted by phone, by mail and in person (door-to-door solicitation). Homeowners have asked whether any of the companies were selected by the city to provide electricity under the city’s electric aggregation program, according to the city.

FirstEnergy Solutions is the only company selected by the city to provide electricity under the City of Crystal Lake’s electric aggregation program.

Find out what's happening in Crystal Lake-Carywith free, real-time updates from Patch.

If homeowners receive a solicitation, they should not provide their ComEd account number. If they do, they may be unintentionally switched to another supplier and removed from the city’s electric aggregation program, city officials said.

Crystal Lake's Kilowatt Rate

Under the Crystal Lake program, the city secured a price of 4.69¢ per kilowatt hour compared to ComEd’s current residential supply rate of 8.3¢ per kilowatt hour. This rate went into effect in late summer 2012 for residential customers.

A resident may individually contract with a company other than FirstEnergy Solutions for electricity supply. However, if a resident is considering another supplier, he or she is encouraged to closely examine the electrical rate being offered and the terms of any proposed contracts.

Any solicitations residents receive from retail electric suppliers are not related to the Crystal Lake's electric aggregation program, city officials said.

Unless residents choose to opt-out, are on real-time hourly pricing, or  individually selected another supplier, they are enrolled in the city program.

Homeowners can confirm they are enrolled in the city’s aggregation program by reviewing their ComEd bill. In the Electricity Supply Services section, it should list FirstEnergy Solutions as the supplier. If it does not, homeowners can call FirstEnergy Solutions directly and request to enroll in the Crystal Lake aggregation program.

Crystal Lake residents can contact FirstEnergy Solutions at 866-636-3749.


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