CLEVELAND — With prices for just about everything going up – as a consumer – the last thing you want to have is more money coming out of your pocket.
That’s why Rita Podolak has decided not to enroll in NOPEC’s Electricity Aggregation Program.
Instead, she switched over to Direct Energy.
“For me, I had to change because, with inflation on everything, everything is going up double or three times the amount, so why would I want to stay with NOPEC, knowing it was going to be twice as much,” said Former NOPEC Customer, Rita Podolak.
NOPEC says costs will not double for every consumer and people will have to make decisions based on their individual circumstance.
Meanwhile, customers like Dan Bobrovsky tell News 5 they’re still trying to figure things out.
“They’ve done well for me in the past, so I’m looking at a couple other options,” said NOPEC customer Dan Bobrovsky. “There’s the apples-to-apples site, and I’m looking at it, and I have to make a decision this weekend.”
The Northeast Ohio Public Energy Council, or NOPEC understands their plan might not be feasible for everyone’s budget.
But for people who are still deciding, NOPEC Chief Marketing and Communications Officer David Jankowski says you have until May 2 to make a decision because come June, he says the First Energy Default Service will go up from 5.8 cents to 12.3 cents.
This means you’ll see your bill double.
“We're telling people whether you re-enroll in NOPEC or not, we're saying be off of the standard service offer, or SSO, so you don't have that sticker shock for your household,” said Jankowski.
NOPEC sent out letters to consumers earlier this month, giving people the option to re-enroll in their aggregation program.
Jankowski says if you do nothing, you will default back into this plan and have a rate of 6.45 cents from your June through December meter read.
If you want to opt into longer-term plans, Jankowski says they have options to meet your needs.
However, he says you must call in, or else you will automatically default to the standard program price of 6.45 cents.
“We do offer a 12- and 24-month fixed pricing, which is also very competitive at about 6.8 cents, which will give you that peace of mind for the long term,” said Jankowski.
Jankowski says you can choose to opt out of their program.
But he strongly encourages consumers to not stay in the standard service offer, or SSO and to choose another retail supplier.
“You can go on energychoice.ohio.gov, add the apples-to-apples website that is run by the PUCO (Public Utilities Commission of Ohio), and it gives people an opportunity to shop for rates,” said Jankowski.
Jankowski says if you choose this route be sure to thoroughly review the contract to understand what it involves.
“Don't trap yourself into a bad deal,” said Jankowski.
Now, let’s say you choose to opt-out later from NOPEC, Jankowski says you won’t face any fees or penalties.
“If you let yourself default into NOPEC, you're at least buying yourselves six months of really good, stable pricing to be able to do the research you might want to do,” said Jankowski.
Finally, Jankowski advises that you never give your bill to anyone who comes to your door so you can keep your personal information safe.
Additionally, if you see two letters from NOPEC – he says one is for gas, and the other is for electricity, with two separate deadlines of May 2 and May 10.
We reached out to FirstEnergy for comment, and they provided the statement below:
“We understand a rise in energy costs can be concerning, and customers may be wondering what they can do to help control electricity costs this summer.
Your FirstEnergy electric bill is divided into two parts: delivery and supply. A FirstEnergy electric company is responsible for delivering electricity to your home or business, but it does not generate the electricity that powers your community. That’s the role of an energy supplier. Just as you shop for other products and services, you also have the option to shop for an energy supplier. Customers who do not shop for electricity are charged a default energy supply rate we negotiate.
Effective June 1, and subject to approval from the Public Utilities Commission of Ohio (PUCO), the prices to compare for each of FirstEnergy's Ohio electric companies' residential customers will be:A typical non-shopping FirstEnergy Ohio residential customer using 750 kilowatt hours can expect to see an increase to their total bill of approximately 47% from May to June. The prices, which update annually on June 1, are seasonal, with summer pricing in effect for the months of June through August, and winter pricing in effect for all other months. Winter prices are expected to remain higher than those seen this past winter.
- Ohio Edison: 12.39 cents/kwh
- Illuminating Co.: 12.40 cents/kwh
- Toledo Edison: 12.41 cents/kwh
Our energy supply prices are based on the results of a competitive auction process in which we buy power on behalf of customers who receive electricity from their utility.
FirstEnergy does not control the prices, and the electricity is provided at cost to customers.”
To explore which plan works best for you, consider visiting the Public Utilities Commission of Ohio’s Apples to Apples tool online at www.energychoice.ohio.gov.
You can also explore ways to conserve energy here.
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