Ameren lowers electric supply rate for residential customers, who can opt out to get lower rate

QUINCY — Ameren Illinois’ adjusted electric supply rate for residential customers was posted Tuesday at 8.04 cents per kilowatthour, 4.025 cents less than the City of Quincy’s electric aggregation rate of 12.065 cents per kilowatthour.

Consumers can opt out to get the lower rate.

Reg Ankrom, president of SIMEC Energy, spoke to the Quincy City Council on Tuesday night’s meeting. SIMEC is a consultant to the city for its electric aggregation program. 

The City of Quincy’s municipal electric aggregation program, paused since March 2022, resumed in April under a new contract with Constellation NewEnergy for electric supply to participating homeowners and small businesses. Constellation submitted a bid to provide electricity at 12.065 cents. 

“Our expectation at that time was that prices of electricity overall would go up,” Ankrom said. “We know that in Illinois, as many as half a dozen baseload coal-fired power plants have been shuttered over the past few years, and the baseload generation that they provided has not been replaced. That would tell us that while supply is decreasing, the capacity cost would go up.”

However, recent auctions for energy supply produced significantly lower charges for electric generating capacity and fuel. Ankrom said the savings for a typical 10,000 kilowatthour customer annually should run about $400.

“t doesn’t make any sense to think that we should continue with electric aggregation without giving people a chance to opt out,” Ankrom told aldermen. “We think that this is obviously a better option for the people of Quincy, so it’s nothing but ethically right that we promote it.”

To opt out by phone call, residents can call Cinstellation’s toll-free number, 800-990-2004. Calls are taken in the order received. Callers can avoid lengthy wait times by leaving a request for a return call.

Customers also can use Constellation’s opt-out service at www.constellation.com/il-quincy and follow these steps:

• Click Opt-Out Online in gray area at bottom of page
• Click blue “Find My Code” button
• Enter your 10-digit Ameren account number
• Review account information
• Enter email if you want opt-out confirmation
• Check the box
• Click the blue button, Do Not Participate

Quincy voters at a referendum in 2012 authorized the city’s electric aggregation initiative.

Ameren will continue to deliver electricity to residents and small businesses, answer calls about power quality and outages, and bill for all electric supply and distribution services. Answers to questions about delivery service and bills are available by calling Ameren’s toll-free number at 800-755-5000.

EDITOR’S NOTE: A previous version of this story informed readers of the wrong type of account number needed to opt-out of Constellation service.