Switch To Renewable

Option 1 - Easiest & Fastest Method
In this method, a household  can opt-in to a 100% renewable electricity supplier program, within the city's electricity aggregation program, via a simple phone call
(Green path in the diagram above):

What? 100% renewable electricity to power your entire home with a rate negotiated by the City of Bay Village under the city's electricity aggregation program.  It just takes a phone call.

When? Easily sign up anytime or cancel anytime without fees, as long as you remain in the city's electricity aggregation program.  There is no deadline to opt-in to the city's 100% renewable electricity aggregation program.
Note: the above information was obtained from the City of  Bay Village electricity aggregation  program contact and also verified with customer service at Dynegy, but be sure to verify with the Dynegy  representative before signing up.

Where? For Bay Village residents only.   Small businesses in Bay Village may also participate in the electricity aggregation program.

How do households opt-in? Residents of Bay Village who are currently part of the electricity aggregation program can opt-in to 100% renewable electricity from Dynegy by calling the number on the letter that Dynegy sent to Bay residents the week of 9/11/2023.   The number to call is 1-888-682-2170.  Have your customer number ready when calling.  It can be found near the bottom of the letter sent to your home.  They may also ask for your utility, which is The Illuminating Company, but may be referred to as Cleveland Electric Illuminating Company on Dynegy's end.  Either way, they should have that information since everyone in the Bay Village aggregation program has the same utility.

What if my household opted-out of the electricity aggregation program in the past? If a household previously opted-out of the city's electricity aggregation program, then that household will not receive a letter.  Instead, these households can call Dynegy at 888-682-2170 to re-join the City of Bay Village, OH Electricity Aggregation Program.  If rejoining, indicate that you wish to have the 100% Renewable Option at the rate of 7.751¢ per kWh, as negotiated by the City of Bay Village. 

How much does it cost? For households on the city's electricity aggregation program, the 100% renewable option costs 7.751¢ per kWh, which is only .4 cents per kWh more than  the aggregation's non-renewable electricity rate.  This is a fixed rate for the term of the aggregation program agreement, which runs for 3 years and starts in November of 2023 and ends November of 2026.  Check with Dynegy for detailed terms negotiated with the City of Bay Village or view them through this link: https://www.dynegy.com/municipal-aggregation/communities-we-serve/Ohio .  If you previously opted out of the city's electricity aggregation program and wish to opt back in to it,  then you should check with your current  electricity  supplier to determine if you are still under a  contract, and if so, if there is an early termination fee.  Refer to the last image on this webpage to determine how to locate your electricity supplier's customer service number within your existing Illuminating Company bill.

Estimating the increase in monthly cost: If you refer to your existing Illuminating Company bill and locate the section titled  Usage History, and find the line titled Average Monthly Use (KWH),  then you can multiply that by .4 and the total would be the number of cents, not dollars, more that you would pay for that month, on average, to have 100% renewable electricity in your home.   An example screenshot of this section of the bill is below.  Also below is a chart of various household's average consumption and associated costs for quick estimating.  Your home may use more or less than these example averages.  Refer to your Illuminating Company bill for more accurate estimates of electricity usage for your household.

Bay Village Electricity Aggregation Program Details: More information on the City of Bay Village's existing electric aggregation program can be found in the link below.  This is the program that residents of Bay Village are automatically enrolled into if their household has not taken action in the past to opt-out of the aggregation program. https://www.cityofbayvillage.com/268/Electric

Option 2 - More Advanced Method
In this method, an Ohio resident must opt-out of their city's electricity aggregation program, if their city has one, and shop the state's Energy Choice Ohio website for a desired renewable electricity supplier plan
(Yellow path in diagram at the top of this page):

This is ONLY for households who either are NOT part of the City of Bay Village's electricity aggregation program and do not wish to re-join, or for those who wish to leave the city's electricity aggregation program and shop for plans on their own.  Offerings on the state's site in this method can change frequently.  Households utilizing this method must pay close attention to terms, including variable vs. fixed rates, monthly fees, opt-out fees, length of agreement, renewable vs. non-renewable, etc when choosing an electricity supplier contract.  It is not difficult, but does requires attention to detail.  For households wishing to let the City of Bay Village negotiate renewable electricity rates on behalf of your household, then go back to Option 1 above.

In the state of Ohio, switching electricity suppliers at any time to a 100% renewable option is easy by following the simple instructions below.  Keep in mind that doing so may result in an early termination fee if you are in an existing contract with another electricity supplier.  To determine if you have a termination fee on your contract with another electricity supplier, you can call the electricity supplier phone number listed on your electric bill under the section where you find the line "Total Supplier Charges".   

Switching electricity suppliers will not change where your bill comes from, nor will it change any auto-payment settings on your account.  A single electricity bill will continue to come from The Illuminating Company / First Energy.  That is because our Illuminating Company electricity bill contains two separate line charges, one for the generation/supply of electricity (picture solar panels, wind turbines, nuclear, or gas fired power plan) and a  separate line item charge for transmission and distribution of the electricity, listed on the bill as "Distribution Related Component".  The distribution and billing will always be handled by The Illuminating Company / First Energy, but the generator of your electricity, listed on the bill as "supplier," is your choice and this is where you can choose a 100% renewable option following these steps: 

1. Go to Energy Choice Ohio www.energychoice.ohio.gov click on COMPARE OFFERS 

2. Click on COMPARE ELECTRIC OFFERS (don't select from the drop down menu, but instead click on the word Electric)

3. Click on RESIDENTIAL and then select your service provider from the resulting drop-down menu (For Bay Village residents, this will be The Illuminating Company).

4. On the Apples to Apples to Comparison Chart, confirm that your Service Provider (The Illuminating Company for Bay Village residents) is selected in the left-hand column, and then filter for 75% - 100% renewable content within the same left-hand column by selecting it from the drop-down menu under Renewable Content.  You must then click the Filter Results button after selecting the percentage of renewable content to get only the renewable plans to show in the chart.

5. Compare plan offerings, paying close attention to rate (variable or fixed), early termination fees,  monthly fees (if any), contract length, and any other agreement terms listed.

6. Once you find a 100% renewable electricity supplier that you would like to consider switching to, then  you can further vet them by following this process: https://www.energychoice.ohio.gov/Pages/Steps%20to%20Switching.aspx  Make sure to click on the questions link on Step 2 of the linked page for a list of questions to ask the supplier about the contract offering.

7. When you are satisfied with the terms of the supplier and wish to sign up for their renewable plan, then contact them directly by clicking on the Sign Up link under the supplier in the above Ohio Energy Choice website's Apples to Apples Comparison Chart.