DECATUR, Ill. (WAND) - Decatur officials said they suspended a contract with an electric supplier, which will mean a return for residents to Ameren service.
A press release from the city said city residents had received notices saying their electrical supplier contract was terminated and they were going back to Ameren. There is no action needed for this on the part of residents, leaders said.
In 2020, the mayor and city council approved a new electric supply agreement with Homefield Energy, which was for all residential and small commercial accounts. The city said these accounts "have not opted out of such a program." The city secured a rate of 4.525 cents per kilowatt-hour through November and until December 2021.
When the city tried to negotiate a new rate with Homefield, it said it was unable to secure a new rate that they believed would be competitive with the default Ameren rate. They said Homefield's lowest offered price to the city for the program was in excess of 7.5 cents per kilowatt-hour, while Ameren's current price is about 5.4 cents per kilowatt hour.
"For this reason, the city has suspended our contract with Homefield and all of the aggregation customers will be returning to Ameren for electrical supply," the release said.
Decatur officials said they "will continue to seek alternative suppliers to secure a rate better than the Ameren rate."
"If the city is able to secure a better rate, then we will likely execute a new contract with that supplier; if not, we will allow area residents to remain with Ameren electrical supply under their pricing," leaders said.
Anyone with questions should contact City of Decatur Deputy City Manager Jon Kindseth at jkindseth@decaturil.gov or (217)424-2801.
