FAQs • Mayfield Heights, OH • CivicEngage

What does opt out mean?: Opt out means that you can decide not to participate in NOPEC's electric governmental aggregation program. By returning the opt-out form - which was included in your initial mailing - by the due date, you will not be enrolled as an electric generation customer with FirstEnergy Solutions, NOPEC's competitive electric generation supplier, and you will not receive the 6 percent discount.

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NOPEC (Electric)

1. What is aggregation?: Under governmental aggregation, local officials bring citizens and small businesses together to gain group buying power for the purchase of competitively priced electricity from a retail electric generation or natural gas supplier certified by the PUCO.

2. What is NOPEC?: The Northeast Ohio Public Energy Council (NOPEC) is a non-profit natural gas and electric energy aggregation representing about 550,000 residential and small business customers in over 200 communities in 13 Northeast Ohio counties. NOPEC was founded in 2000. NOPEC operates as a governmental opt out aggregation. We use bulk-buying techniques to get the most reliable and competitively priced energy we can and then supply that power in the form of electricity and natural gas to our customers. We estimate that since we were founded, we have saved our customers in Northeast Ohio over a quarter billion dollars in cumulative electric savings. We are also increasingly involved in encouraging and implementing energy conservation that saves our customers additional money.

3. Why is NOPEC able to choose a certified electric generation supplier on my behalf?: Residents in your community voted to allow your locally elected officials to contract for an electric generation supplier on their behalf. Your local officials chose to join NOPEC in order to gain additional group buying power.

4. How ill I know if I can save money under NOPEC's electric governmental aggregation program?: Under NOPEC's governmental aggregation program, the price you pay for electric generation supply is guaranteed to be 6 percent lower than the utility's Price to Compare. In other words, each month, you'll pay 6 percent less for the generation portion of your electric supply than if you had not joined NOPEC's governmental aggregation program.

5. What do I need to do if I want to be included in this government aggregation?: You do not need to do anything to receive the 6 percent generation discount under this program.

6. If I join NOPEC's electric aggregation program, who will deliver my power, read my meter, and respond to emergencies, such as power outage?: Your local electric utility will be responsible for the delivery of power to your home or business. Since your local electric utility still owns the wires and poles that deliver power to you, it will continue to read your meter and restore power after an outage.

7. Is your price for residential power based on a fixed rate, or a variable rate?: Participation in the NOPEC program will allow you to receive a variable rate on the generation portion of your electric bill. The variable rate is equal to 6 percent off your Price to Compare. The Price to Compare represents only the generation portion of your bill, and consists of bypassable generation and certain transmission related components calculated as price per kilowatt-hour (kWh). The Price to Compare does not include your utility's distribution related components, certain transmission related components, and non-bypassable utility charges. Since the Price to Compare may change each month based on the season and your usage, the price per kWh from FirstEnergy Solutions also will change each month. As such, you receive a fixed discount (the percent off) from a variable rate (the Price to Compare), which results in a variable rate. Regardless, you are guaranteed to save 6 percent off the generation portion of your electric bill each month.

8. What does opt out mean?: Opt out means that you can decide not to participate in NOPEC's electric governmental aggregation program. By returning the opt-out form - which was included in your initial mailing - by the due date, you will not be enrolled as an electric generation customer with FirstEnergy Solutions, NOPEC's competitive electric generation supplier, and you will not receive the 6 percent discount.

9. What happens if I do not send in the opt out form?: If you do not return the opt out form postmarked by the due date, you will be included in NOPEC's governmental aggregation program and will begin receiving the 6 percent discount form NOPEC's aggregation program supplied by FirstEnergy Solutions.

10. Can I opt out over the phone?: No. If you want to opt out, you must mail in your completed opt out form and it must be postmarked by the due date.

11. Can I leave the program at a later date?: Yes, but you will be subject to a $25 cancellation fee from FirstEnergy Solutions if you cancel for any other reason but moving or termination of the NOPEC aggregation program. However, you will be sent a notice at least every three years asking if you wish to remain in the program. At that point, you may opt out at no cost. There is no cancellation fee if you remain in the NOPEC electric program with another product.

12. Will I receive a separate bill from FirstEnergy Solutions?: No, you will continue to receive only one bill from your electric utility - either The Illuminating Company or Ohio Edison. You will see NOPEC/FirstEnergy Solutions listed as the supplier on your bill.

14. Can I still have my payment automatically deducted from my checking account as I do now?: Yes. How you pay your electric bill will not change.

15. What are my energy supply choices if I decide to opt out?: You can stay with your current electric utility, which will continue to supply your electricity as it always has, or you can shop for an alternative generation supplier. A list of competitive electric suppliers certified by the PUCO and their current prices is available by calling 1-800-686-7826.

16. Does a customer have any choice other than opting out?: Yes. Ohio law allows a customer to contact the PUCO to remove themselves from the pool of customers eligible to participate in an electric opt out governmental aggregation program and join the "electric do not aggregate list". Also, you may contact your local electric utility and ask to be removed from the opt out mailing list.

17. Who is FirstEnergy Solutions?: FirstEnergy Solutions Corp., a subsidiary of FirstEnergy Corp., is one of the nation's largest electric generation suppliers to residential and commercial and industrial customers in Ohio, Pennsylvania, New Jersey, Maryland, Illinois, and Michigan.

18. What is the toll free number for questions?: For answers to your questions, please call 1-800-292-9284, Monday through Friday, 8:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m.