In Ohio, local communities are allowed, by law, to join their citizens together to buy natural gas as a group and thereby gain "buying power" to solicit the lowest price for a group's natural gas needs. This is called governmental aggregation.
Communities must meet necessary requirements established by state regulators, like voter approval through a ballot issue, before a governmental aggregation can be implemented.
There are generally two types of governmental aggregations: 1) an opt-out program; and 2) an opt-in program.
- Opt-out aggregation is a program that automatically enrolls eligible residents, unless they individually opt-out of the program (choose not to be included).
- Opt-in aggregation is a program that permits eligible residents to sign up individually to participate in the program.
If you have questions about government aggregation in your community, you should contact your local government office.