ComEd Rate Hike Means $3.15 Increase to Monthly Bill

The Illinois Commerce Commission on Tuesday voted unanimously to approve a $156 million rate increase for ComEd.

The rate climb, effective Jun. 1, will mean a ComEd bill of an extra $3.15 each month for Chicago area residents, according to Crain's Chicago Business.

The commission also rejected ComEd’s request to add a surcharge on each bill to pay for proposed smart grid improvements. The Smart Grid proposal, the utilities say, would balance the new charges with new equipment and technology that would eventually save consumers money.

Citizens Utility Board (CUB), a nonprofit energy watchdog group, issued a statement deriding the ICC's decision. "As Illinois consumers get gouged at the pump and prepare for yet another expensive summer air-conditioning season, this is the worst possible time for a rate hike," CUB director David Kolata said in a news release. CUB has pledged to appeal the ICC's decision.

ComEd and Ameren, the state’s two largest electricity providers, have been trying for months to  to pass legislation that would pass the fee onto consumers.

The rate hike takes place even as ComEd continues to lobby for the passage of legislation that could pave the way for automatic annual rate hikes — without prior approval from the ICC — ostensibly to help pay for the .

ComEd officials have said the bill, HB 14, is a key component to make upgrades to the power grid and prevent outages.

Wheaton Mayor Mike Gresk announced in October a with the CUB Energy Saver website. The free service shows households how to save an average of $200 a year, according to a CUB press release. 

When users first create an account, CUB makes recommendations based on public data relating to a resident's property record, weather patterns and energy use, Jim Chilsen, CUB director of communications explained in the October press conference. 

The CUB site allows users to track their progress with graphs of their electricity usage and also shows their progress compared to a neighbor's. A "community page" on the site shows users how many people have signed up in Wheaton. It also shows how Wheaton as a group compares to other communities of site users across Illinois.

To date, Wheaton ranks second in the area, with reported savings of $3,488. Evanston leads the Chicago communities with savings of $11,265. Other nearby communities in the top ten include no. 6 Oak Park and no. 10 Lombard.