ROCKFORD (WIFR) -- Stateline residents are getting the chance to save hundreds of dollars on their electric bills.

It's called electrical aggregation and it allows local municipalities to buy electricity in bulk, at a cheaper rate which means lower monthly bills.

Local Winnebago and Boone County leaders gathered today to explain the referendum that will be on the March 20th ballot. It will ask voters if they support their government looking for other electrical suppliers outside of ComEd. Other Illinois municipalities that have participated have saved anywhere from ten to thirty percent. For a resident that could be up to 400 dollars a year.

Winnebago County Chairman Scott Christiansen said, "Power by volume buying becomes cheaper for each one of us so the more people we can put in a bid for prices, the better we're going to get for each individual."

If the referendum passes residents and small businesses will automatically be enrolled in the program, but they can opt out and stay with ComEd if they choose. There would also be public hearings before the switch is made.

ComEd will still deliver the electricity no matter who the supplier is. That means residents will continue to get a ComEd bill and the company will continue to service power outages. The only difference seems to be a lower bill.