NOPEC is Moving Half a Million Customers in Northeast Ohio

The Northeast Ohio Public Energy Council (NOPEC), is a nonprofit energy aggregator that works to provide business and residential customers with the lowest energy bills possible. But the organization recently announced that they were no longer able to provide customers the best rate and therefore they will be temporarily moving nearly all of their more than 500,000 customers currently enrolled in its Standard Program Price option to their utility’s default choice. This will be referenced on their monthly bills as the “Price to Compare”.

The plan is for customers to be opted back in by spring of 2023. In a statement released last month, Chuck Keiper, NOPEC's Executive Director explains, "As a consumer-focused non-profit, NOPEC is always operating and advocating for what's best for our communities and customers. When we looked at the price forecasts, it became increasingly apparent that the Price to Compare rate would be a better place for our customers to be through Winter 2023 to save significant money during these economically challenging times."

Until now, customers were required to call NOPEC to change energy providers but given the unprecedented energy market, NOPEC is making the switch on their behalf. Current NOPEC customers will be transitioned automatically and without any disruption in service. The fees sometimes associated with making a switch will also be waived. Only customers currently on the standard program price will see a change; those with a monthly variable price or fixed term options won’t be affected.

Some suppliers are pushing back, notably Dynegy, a major supplier in the affected Ohio markets. Dynegy has asked the Public Utilities Commission of Ohio (PUCO) to stop NOPEC from offloading customers. Dynegy argues that such a dramatic influx of customers would force the company to either generate or purchase more electricity on the wholesale market. In their formal complaint, Dynegy has asked PUCO to bar NOPEC from making any changes for 30 days, to compel NOPEC to send opt-out notices to affected customers, and to open a PUCO-led investigation into NOPEC’s unprecedented move.

While Ohioans cannot select their utility - the company that transports electricity to their homes and services the delivery infrastructure - they may choose their supplier. Suppliers are the company or nonprofit that sells the electricity the utility transports. Many cities use an aggregator, like NOPEC, as their supplier because NOPEC purchases energy in bulk and often at a reduced rate.

But as energy prices continue to skyrocket, NOPEC’s bulk savings have evaporated and now many Ohioans are faced with a choice - to allow their service to be rolled over to a default supplier or to shop rates and select a supplier themselves. Fortunately, the Energy Experts at Price to Compare are prepared to assist those affected by this change not only find a new supplier but to save money on electricity costs as well. Price to Compare provides detailed information about all the different energy provider options in Northeast Ohio in a simple, easy-to-understand format. Contact us today and save!

Pro Tip: Let Price to Compare produce a residential electricity rates comparison for you and save your home up to 50% on energy bills! Even with high electricity prices, Price to Compare can gather and compare energy providers’ rates for you to ensure that you’re saving as much as possible on your home’s energy bill.

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