Jacksonville posts new rate information for municipal aggregation program

Jacksonville’s latest municipal aggregation notice put a real dollar figure on the city’s next electric supply term: 13.19 cents per kilowatt-hour for June 2026 through May 2027. For a household using about 800 kilowatt-hours a month, that works out to roughly $105.52 for supply, about $28.24 more than Ameren Illinois’ April 2026 price-to-compare of 9.66 cents a kilowatt-hour for the first 800 kilowatt-hours.

The city posted the update on its official news feed April 13, and the headline alone showed why it matters: municipal aggregation is not a niche utility note, it is a citywide pricing decision that can touch most homes and small businesses in Jacksonville. Under Section 1-92 of the Illinois Power Agency Act, municipal aggregation lets local governments negotiate electric supply on behalf of residents and eligible small businesses on an opt-out basis. The Illinois Power Agency says the program applies in Ameren Illinois and ComEd territory, and Jacksonville’s utilities page says the city is an Ameren Illinois community that participates in the Municipal Electric Aggregation Program.

That makes the new rate more than just a billing update. It is also higher than Jacksonville’s earlier fixed-rate aggregation contract, which the city said was 12.21 cents per kilowatt-hour with Constellation New Energy through December 2024. On a household using 800 kilowatt-hours, that is about $7.84 more a month than the earlier Jacksonville contract, before delivery charges and taxes are added. The current Homefield Energy Jacksonville page also notes that its supply price is separate from Ameren Illinois delivery charges, taxes and other fees.

Eligible Jacksonville residents and small businesses are the people automatically pulled into the program unless they opt out. Homefield’s aggregation FAQ says eligible customers within municipal boundaries receive an opt-out notice by mail and must return the form by the deadline on that notice if they want out; customers who opt out remain with their utility at the current rate. Homefield’s terms also say accounts outside the program boundary, accounts already with another supplier, and some real-time pricing customers are not automatically included. If residents want alternate supplier information, the city’s earlier aggregation notice listed City Clerk Angela Salyer as the contact at 217-479-3541.

The broader policy stakes reach beyond one bill. Illinois has treated municipal load aggregation as part of its renewable-energy and market-planning framework, and the Illinois Power Agency published a report on municipal load aggregation and renewable resource development on June 1, 2023. In Jacksonville, though, the immediate question is simpler: whether the city’s new notice translates into higher supply costs for households that stay in the program, or a chance to leave before the next term begins.