Energy Aggregation Program Up for Consideration at Council

The first step in a state program that could allow Manchester Township to slice energy costs for local residents will be up for consideration at Monday night’s council meeting.

An ordinance allowing the township to become an energy aggregator under the Government Energy Aggregation Act (GEA) will be up for an introductory vote, which would put Manchester on the way to running the program locally.

GEA programs, which were established a decade ago, potentially create savings by allowing municipal governments to first aggregate the energy needs of residential, commercial and government accounts, then buy energy supply from third-party suppliers at prices below the average utility rate, according to the state Board of Public Utilities (BPU).

The savings comes on the supply portion of the bill, with transmission and other fees unaffected by the move to aggregation.

If passed, the ordinance would then require a bidding process for third-party suppliers, according to BPU guidelines.

Once established, a GEA program would automatically include residential customers, who could opt-out initially or leave with 30 days’ notice, with commercial and government accounts given the option to opt in to the program.

Monday's council meeting starts at 6 p.m. at town hall.