Metro East Sun

Illinois residents experienced higher electricity bills this summer due to prolonged heat and increased demand, which put pressure on the state’s energy grid. The grid is managed by two main operators: PJM Interconnection, overseeing northern Illinois and Commonwealth Edison customers, and Midcontinent Independent System Operator (MISO), which manages central and southern Illinois in Ameren’s territory.

The 2021 Climate and Equitable Jobs Act (CEJA) requires most coal-fired plants in Illinois to close by 2030, with all electricity generation moving to non-carbon sources by 2045. Since the law passed, four coal sites have retired their coal-fired units, reducing overall generation capacity.

This year, MISO’s April capacity auction set summer prices at $666.50 per megawatt-day, a significant increase from last year’s $30 rate. As a result, Ameren Illinois’ supply price rose about 50 percent, from around 8 cents to about 12 cents per kilowatt hour. Customers across both PJM and MISO regions saw their bills increase sharply, with some paying two to three times more than the previous year.

In response, State Representative Dave Severin, Republican Spokesman on the House Energy and Environment Committee, and other House Republicans called for joint legislative hearings to investigate the price spikes and warned of higher bills. However, these hearings have not taken place.

Severin and colleagues introduced HB 4088 to repeal CEJA and HB 4087 to establish a task force focused on affordable and reliable energy solutions. Severin stated: “We sounded the alarm that this was going to happen very early on, and I was calling for hearings so we could get to the bottom of the policy decisions that Illinois Democrats have made that have caused a sharp decline in our electricity capacity and the large price spikes that have harmed working families and businesses large and small. Wind, solar, batteries…those are energy sources that aren’t getting the job done when Illinois really needs to generate affordable and reliable electricity during peak demand hours. Taking our coal-fired power plants offline has harmed our grid and led to large price spikes for customers this past summer.”

State Rep. Kevin Schmidt, who was elected in 2023 to represent Illinois’ 114th House District, is a co-sponsor of both bills. Schmidt said: “Energy policies pushed by Democrats have reduced Illinois’ generation capacity and it’s costing homeowners, renters, and businesses big time. I support using all available sources of energy to keep costs down for Illinois residents, including coal and natural gas. Elected officials in Illinois must take action on reforming energy policies now.”

The Citizens Utility Board (CUB) noted in an October 1 Facebook post: “New power prices are in effect as of Oct. 1. Good news: Ameren IL’s price dropped 31%. Bad news: ComEd’s price is still elevated. We’ve got a lot of work to do to protect people from price spikes.”

According to CUB, Ameren Illinois’ fall supply price fell by 31 percent to 8.402 cents per kilowatt hour, returning to pre-summer levels. ComEd’s rate also decreased slightly but remains about 47 percent higher than last October.

Ultimately, whether fall utility rates are lower than summer rates depends on location, energy supplier, and individual usage patterns.

More information can be found on the Citizens Utility Board website:

Ameren fall rate details are available at https://www.citizensutilityboard.org/wp-content/uploads/2025/09/20251001-Ameren-Price-News-Release-Final.pdf.

ComEd fall rate details can be found at https://www.citizensutilityboard.org/wp-content/uploads/2025/09/20251001-ComEd-Fall-Price-News-Release-Final.pdf.