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Receive presentation regarding a proposed electrical aggregate program for Mesquite residents and discuss the potential for implementing a Mesquite Power Switch program with iChoosr, LLC.
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In 2002, the Texas electricity market was deregulated, and while deregulation has increased electric provider options for Texans, the electric retail market remains complex and finding the most cost effective plan for an individual household is not an easy task despite the State's Power to Choose web portal on the Public Utility Commission website.
iChoosr is a "municipal aggregator" that offers an opt-in program called the Texas Power Switch for residents to participate in order to take advantage of group buying power to reduce their home electricity bill. iChoosr is the only company in Texas with this business model, although there are similar opt-in municipal aggregations operating in Illinois, Ohio and Massachusetts, and a few other states have opt-out aggregation programs.
To date, nine Texas cities have joined Texas Power Switch: Dickinson, Fate, Farmers Branch, Lake Dallas, Richland Hills, Seadrift, Waco, Wilmer and Webster; and 12 cities are currently considering the program, including eight within the Metroplex. City staff reached out to cities with more established programs and all provided extremely positive feedback for the program - attached is a resident survey from the City of Fate. In their first year, the City of Fate reported 10 percent of all households switching with an estimated combined savings of $90,000. City staff has also vetted this program through the City's own electric consultant with Tradition Energy, and iChoosr is endorsed by the Texas Coalition for Affordable Power.
The City Attorney's Office has reviewed the attached iChoosr agreement with the City of Farmers Branch and would recommend only slight changes regarding the term and use of City information; otherwise, there doesn't appear to be anything fundamentally wrong with the ...
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