Authorizing Council's Committee on Transportation and Public Utilities to hold hearings on the feasibility of electric aggregation, pooled purchasing and co-op programs for residential customers in light of the expiration of electric rate caps in at the end of 2010.

WHEREAS, Rate caps on electricity are scheduled to expire at the end of 2010 enabling all electricity customers to purchase electricity from the supplier of their choice; and

WHEREAS, The expiration of these rate caps will result in customers being flooded with information from electric supply companies and could result in the increase of electric bills for all customers, both residential and commercial; and

WHEREAS, The City of Philadelphia has facilitated and endorsed the creation of “Philly Buying Power,” a program that will pool the energy demands of interested small businesses to get them competitive prices on their electricity bills; and

WHEREAS, Many consumers are unfamiliar with buying generation and will be confused by the process and without some help will be unlikely to make any decision leaving them with the more expensive rates and making it less likely for a vibrant market to develop; and

WHEREAS, Creating a program for residential electric customers, similar to the one created for commercial customers, could afford them the opportunity of realizing savings through pooled buying power while receiving valuable energy-saving information from reliable sources; now therefore,

RESOLVED, BY THE COUNCIL OF THE CITY OF PHILADELPHIA, That it hereby authorizes its Committee on Transportation and Public Utilities to hold hearings on the feasibility of electric aggregation, pooled purchasing and co-op programs for residential customers in light of the expiration of electric rate caps in at the end of 2010.

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