Staff photo / J.T. Whitehouse Canfield Township Administrator Keith Rogers, far left, answers questions from trustees Brian Governor, Joe Paloski and Marie Cartwright regarding the township’s gas aggregation program.

CANFIELD TOWNSHIP — Trustees met in special session Friday morning to lock in better gas rates for its Enbridge Gas customers. The rates are for one of the area’s largest gas aggregation programs.

“Boardman, Poland Township and Austintown have approved an agreement and are waiting on us,” said Canfield Township Administrator Keith Rogers. “The multiple townships and large number of customers give brokers a lot of bargaining power.”

The natural gas aggregate in the township is established through program consultant and administrator Independent Energy Consultants (IEC). The organization serves as a broker for energy and by incorporating the other large townships, have been able to use the numbers to obtain favorable rates.

“This only affects the Enbridge Gas customers,” said Trustee Marie Cartwright. “The Columbia Gas aggregation program will be negotiated later this year.”

The present Enbridge rates are at $3.73 per mcf, while the (Columbia) gas rates are at $6.49 per mcf. The difference between the two is because of the number of customers in each of the gas aggregate programs. Having neighboring townships joining together has created a very large group.

Trustees approved Rogers negotiating through IEC for natural gas with a target price of $3.99 per mcf using IGS as supplier.

“We had to move fast,” Rogers said. “Word is out that gas prices would move to above the $4 per mcf rate on (Monday) June 1. We had to approve the target price of $3.99.”

Trustees were informed by IEC that prices may even come in under that amount.

The new rates would take effect for the October 2026 billing cycle and run through October of 2027.

IEC has served as the township’s gas broker since it was hired in 2008. The township’s electric aggregation rates are through NOPEC and run for 12 months beginning June 1. The current electric aggregation rate is $0.0999 per kwh.