Oregon: Gas program change prompts calls

News Editor
news@presspublications.com

Oregon city officials are fielding many calls from residents with questions about a change in natural gas providers.
Joel Mazur, city administrator, said a mailer from Constellation Energy was sent to residents that stated the company wouldn’t be the natural gas provider for the Northwest Ohio Aggregation Coalition starting with the May billing period.
Columbia Gas, as the default NOAC supplier, will provide residents with natural gas service until the October billing period when Archer Energy becomes the supplier.
“We’ve received many phone calls from residents about other energy suppliers who are soliciting and asking them to sign onto their program. What we’ve found is a majority of the time is the NOAC rates are the cheapest and will be the lowest for the residents in the long term,” Mazur said. “There are different providers that go door-to-door and will try to make a sales pitch to residents to get them to switch to them as their provider.
“If someone is soliciting in the city they have to have a solicitation permit no matter where they’re at in the city. If they don’t that is a violation of our municipal code. We’ve received a lot of inquiries lately about people going door-to-door without permits and using aggressive sales tactics to get residents to switch providers.”
Residents should ask the solicitors to show their permits, which the city requires they carry with them while they are going door to door.
Anyone wanting a permit is required to provide city officials with contact information and a photo. The city also conducts background checks on the applicants. Convicted felons are rejected.
Mazur said the city provides “no soliciting” stickers that residents can place on their doors or windows.
Stickers can be picked up at the administration building or residents can call and arrange to have them mailed.