Published on September 24, 2025
Ohio Governmental Aggregation
Frequently Asked Questions
Q. What is governmental aggregation?
A. Governmental aggregation is an easy and effective way for a large group of consumers to save money on their electric bills.
Ohio law allows for communities - such as townships, cities, villages and counties - to form aggregated buying groups to purchase electric generation on behalf of their citizens. By bringing citizens together, the aggregation gains group buying power and typically can negotiate a better price with the supplier than each aggregation group member could have negotiated individually. The governmental aggregator chooses the electric supplier for all of the customer-members in its group.
On Election Day, your community will have the issue of electric aggregation on the ballot. By voting FOR electric aggregation, you will allow your locally elected officials to purchase electric supply at a discounted rate for your community.
Q. How do residents join a governmental aggregation program?
A. First, the governmental aggregation issue must be placed on the ballot and then passed by a majority of the voters. Once passed, all eligible residents and small businesses in the community will be enrolled and will begin receiving the discounted supply pricing under the program. Residents do not need to do anything to join the program. However, anyone who does not want to participate in the program can easily opt out by returning a form, which will be mailed to all eligible members.
Q. What does opt out mean?
A. Since all eligible residents are automatically enrolled in the governmental aggregation program, those residents who do not want to participate are given the opportunity to opt out. By returning the opt-out form by the due date, which is included in a letter that is mailed to all eligible residents, residents can choose not to be enrolled as a electric supply customer with the community's competitive electric supplier.
Q. What happens if I do not send in the opt-out form?
A. Governmental aggregation is designed so it is easy for residents to save money on their electric bills. So, if you do not return the opt-out form postmarked by the due date, you will be included in the community's governmental aggregation program and will begin receiving competitively priced electric from the community's competitive electric supplier.
Q. Can I opt out of the program at a later date?
A. Yes, 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. In addition to being able to opt-out during opt-out periods, there is also no fee to leave (or join) the program at any time.
Q. What are my energy supply choices if I decide to opt out?
A. 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 Public Utilities Commission of Ohio and their current prices is available by calling 1-800-686-PUCO (l-800-686-7826).
Q. If I join the community's electric aggregation program, who will deliver my supply, read my meter and respond to emergencies?
A. Your local electric utility will be responsible for the delivery of electric supply to your home or business. Since your local electric utility still maintains the electric grid system that deliver electricity to you, it will continue to read your meter, take care of repairs or outages.
Q. What are the key steps in an Opt-Out Aggregation?
A. With the assistance of a PUCO certified consultant, a community seeks bids from Certified Retail Electric Service Providers. A qualified bidder is selected to supply the aggregation. An "Opt-Out" notice is sent to each eligible county resident prior to the start of the aggregation. Each resident has 21 days to withdraw or "Opt-Out" of the program. After the 21-day period, any resident not opting out will be submitted for enrollment. The utility will send notice of the pending enrollment to each participating resident. Each resident has 7 days to rescind their enrollment. The new supplier will appear on your electric bill within one to two billing cycles after enrollment is verified by the utility.