Elgin updates Electric Aggregation program
Elgin’s municipal electric aggregation contract with Dynegy is expiring in January. The city will be taking a six-month hiatus to review the municipal electricity market during those months to ensure Elgin residents and small businesses can obtain electricity at the lowest possible cost, according to the city’s website.
ComEd’s supply rates are currently lower than competing municipal electricity suppliers, it stated. Elgin residents and small businesses will automatically be switched to ComEd’s lower rates in January.
Residents and small business owners will experience no changes in their electricity service, it stated. Bills will still come from ComEd, but residents will notice a lower rate, the website stated.
Municipal electric aggregation has been effective in forcing ComEd to reduce its electricity supply rates to competitive levels, the website stated. When first introduced in 2012, municipalities secured rates beating ComEd’s by up to 50 percent. ComEd responded to the market forces, so that two years later, 102 of the 725 municipalities tracked by the Citizens Utility Board (CUB) had ended their aggregations programs because ComEd supplied electricity at the lowest rate, it stated. This past summer, ComEd lowered its June-September supply rates by another 12 percent, making ComEd the lowest cost provider in virtually every market, it stated.
Elgin residents and small businesses participating in the current aggregation program with Dynegy are paying 6.798 cents per kilowatt-hour for one hundred percent renewable energy, the city’s website stated. ComEd’s current rate is 6.388 cents per kilowatt-hour (kWH) until May 2017. Current one-year market pricing for one hundred percent renewable energy is as high as 11.304 cents per kWh with most suppliers clustered in the 7.00 to 8.50 cents kWh range, it stated.
The city will be closely monitoring the municipal electric aggregation marketplace in the coming months in anticipation of a decision on whether ComEd will be able to continue maintaining the competitive advantage it has established over its competitors since 2014, it stated.
CO detectors can protect against ‘invisible killer’
You will breathe easier this winter, while taking a big step toward protecting yourself and your family by installing carbon monoxide (or CO) detectors in your home, according to a Kane County Health Department press release. This year, the Kane County Healthy Places Coalition, the Kane County Health Department and several local home improvement stores are partnering to promote the purchase of CO detectors and their proper installation.
CO is a colorless, odorless gas that is produced any time fuel is burned and can cause serious illness or even death, the release stated. That’s why it is known as the “invisible killer.” Even in low concentrations, carbon monoxide can cause flu-like symptoms. Many appliances in your home can cause CO buildup, particularly if they are malfunctioning or improperly vented. Furnaces, water heaters, clothes dryers, stoves and ovens, and many other sources are common culprits, it stated.
“It is important to have a CO detector in your home to alert you if Carbon Monoxide gas is present, since it is poisonous. These detectors are inexpensive and give you time to correct the problem or call for help,” said Batavia Fire Department Lt. Casey Balsitis. “CO detectors can also warn you of other problems, such as malfunctioning battery backup devices for computers or sump pumps. These backup batteries can produce hydrogen gas and will cause a CO detector to alarm.”
In Batavia during 2016, the Batavia Fire Department has responded to 47 emergency calls related to CO, officials said.
The Health Department’s Carbon Monoxide business partners include:
* Ziegler Ace Hardware, Meadowdale Shopping Center, Carpentersville
* Ziegler Ace Hardware, 215 N. Spring St., Elgin
* Ziegler Ace Hardware, 1158 Lillian St., Elgin
* Ziegler Ace Hardware, 301 Randall Road, South Elgin
* Lowe’s, 955 S. Randall Road, St. Charles
Learn about coyotes during guided hike
Coyotes are abundant in Kane County, and they can be heard yipping in the night, according to a news release.
Learn about coyotes in Kane County on Saturday, Jan. 21, from 10 to 11 a.m. at Pingree Grove Forest Preserve, 14N187 US Route 20, in Hampshire.
The guided hike will include a search for coyote tracks, scat and other evidence of their activity. Along the trail, will be information about the coyote behavior and their role in ecology.
Advance registration is required for this free, all-ages program. Call 630-444-3190 or e-mail programs@kaneforest.com to register.
For information on Forest Preserve District nature programs, go to www.kaneforest.com.
Hoagies, using Dundee Scots’ “secret” recipe, going on sale
First Congregational Church of Dundee, “The Church on the Hill,” is using Dundee Scots’ “secret” recipe to hold its hoagie sandwich sale.
The Music Ministry and Chancel Choir, adult vocal choir, of First Congregational Church of Dundee is offering Super Bowl Sunday hoagie sandwiches for sale as a fundraiser. The cost of each hoagie is $7.
Sandwiches made following the Dundee Scots’ “secret” recipe will be available for pickup on Saturday, Feb. 4 between 10 a.m. and 12 p.m. Place your order before Friday, Feb. 3 by calling the church office.
“The Church on the Hill” is located at 900 South Eighth Street (Route 31 and Angle Tarn), West Dundee.
For information or to place a sandwich order, call First Congregational Church of Dundee at 847-426-2161 ext. 202 or go to http://www.fccdundee.com.
