Groups scramble to put power co-ops together
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In Columbia, the community association is hiring a consultant to set up a purchasing cooperative to negotiate electricity prices and pass along the savings to residents and businesses. Area chambers of commerce are working on similar co-ops for business owners - and in one case, perhaps community associations. And consortiums of school districts, county governments and community colleges that have negotiated lower prices as a group from established utilities are now plotting to buy electricity in bulk directly through a broker, bypassing utility companies altogether. With Baltimore Gas and Electric customers facing rate hikes of 72 percent for residential customers and about 40 percent for small commercial users, Marylanders have begun scrambling to lessen the blow when the state’s legislated rate caps expire in July. “We’re getting a lot of phone calls coming in, with people asking, ‘Can you help us out?’” said Sherrie Becker, executive director of the Pikesville Chamber of Commerce, which is organizing its second energy co-op in two years for Maryland businesses but… More : accessmylibrary.com |