Four hundred sixteen (416) school districts will save over $41 million in electricity costs in the upcoming school year through the Alliance for Competitive Energy Services, the energy-purchasing cooperative for public schools established by the New Jersey School Boards Association.

The savings will result from one-year contracts that ACES awarded this month to five electric power suppliers through a competitive bidding process.

“The ACES program is a prime example of how local school districts are working together to share services,” said Marie S. Bilik, NJSBA executive director.  “By further reducing energy costs, the new agreements will enable public schools to direct more resources to the classroom next year.  That can help to preserve education programs and control property taxes.”

The $41 million savings represents a 32-percent reduction from what the ACES districts would pay in 2012-2013 if they purchased their electrical supply from their utility companies.  In addition, the 2012-2013 prices are lower – by 24 percent – than the ACES discounted rates for the current school year.

During the four-year period ending May 2013, ACES will have saved participating school districts more than $100 million in electricity costs.

ACES also operates a natural gas purchasing cooperative for public school districts.

The Alliance for Competitive Energy Services was founded in 1999, following enactment of the state’s energy deregulation law. The statute designated NJSBA as the "governmental aggregator" of cooperative energy purchasing by local school districts. ACES is sponsored by the New Jersey School Boards Association, the New Jersey Association of School Administrators and the New Jersey Association of School Business Officials.

As the largest retail electric power supply purchasing group in New Jersey, ACES accounts for 1.5 percent of total electric consumption in New Jersey (inclusive of all residential, government, institutional, commercial and industrial consumers). 

The Alliance for Competitive Energy Services is administered by Gabel Associates of Highland Park.

For information about ACES, contact Carol Friedman at (732) 296-0770 or via her email.