Residents of German, Milford, Oxford, Reily, Ross, and Wayne townships voted on electric aggregation on November 7, 2023. Electric aggregation passed in all areas except the City of Trenton.

What is electric aggregation?

Electric aggregation is when customers join to form a group to buy energy. Townships, cities, and counties are allowed to band their citizens to buy electricity as a group, which gives them buying power to solicit the lowest price for the group’s electricity needs. Customers served by investor-owned utilities have the option to choose the generation provider for their electricity to negotiate their own generation rates.

Aggregation does not apply to co-op members

The issue of electric aggregation does not apply to electric cooperative members because cooperatives already provide members with the benefits of aggregation. The foundation of the cooperative business model is that we are a not-for-profit, member-owned utility. Cooperatives provide at-cost electric service to their members, as compared to investor-owned utilities, which are operated to maximize shareholder profits.

Butler Rural Electric Cooperative buys its power from Buckeye Power, the wholesale supplier for Ohio’s distribution cooperatives. By doing so, the cooperative offers members affordable, stable, predictable rates, as opposed to purchasing power on the fluctuating open market. Buckeye Power, a not-for-profit organization, offers long-term, competitive, at-cost rates.

Butler Rural Electric Cooperative members are not affected by electric aggregation. This includes members in German, Milford, Oxford, Reily, Ross, and Wayne townships and the City of Trenton who recently voted on the issue. Your bills from the cooperative will remain the same.