In northern Illinois, you can choose Commonwealth Edison (ComEd), the regulated utility, to supply you with power, or go with an alternative supplier chosen by you or your municipality. This guide covers individual electricity offers. (See CUB's fact sheet for information on municipal aggregation.)

Remember, even if you choose an alternative supplier, you're simply buying electricity from that company. ComEd will still bill you to deliver the electricity to your home, and you'll still call the utility in the event of a power outage.

While it's an interesting development in the electric market, long-term savings are not guaranteed.

You should get a single bill, but it's a good detail to check. Also, ask if your bill will be paper or online. Most of the suppliers simply include their charges on your ComEd bill, but some (Champion and AEP) send you their own bill. No, ComEd will still bill you to deliver the electricity to your home, and the company periodically will try to raise these "delivery rates" before the Illinois Commerce Commission (ICC). (Help CUB battle rate hikes!) When your contract is up (or you cancel), you are subject to a 12-month stay with ComEd, the utility, if you do not choose another supplier within two months. Some of the companies offer green energy plans. Typically, here's how such plans work:

For a slightly higher price than the company's standard fixed rate, the company pledges to buy "renewable energy certificates," or RECs, from a company that produces wind power. That ensures that the wind company will deliver an amount of renewable energy to somewhere in the electricity system that is equal to the amount you consume. So enrolling in a renewable program doesn’t mean that the actual power you use is coming from a wind farm.

Although RECs are a legitimate option for consumers, there are other ways to help the environment without paying extra for your electricity. For example, practicing energy efficiency at home (see box) can be even more effective. Also CUB sees Illinois' renewable portfolio standard, requiring state utilities to use a certain percentage of renewable energy, as a much more effective way to make the electricity system cleaner and more stable. CUB Energy Saver suggests hundreds of customized actions to cut energy costs, tracks real savings on ComEd bills, and rewards consumers who reduce their energy usage with shopping discounts at local businesses and national retailers. Since its launch, CUB Energy Saver has helped consumers reduce their energy usage by an average of 5.5 percent, or $104 per year. Find out:

Compare the prices below with ComEd's 8.3 cents per kilowatt-hour (kWh) rate October through May. Note: ComEd's price-to-compare is expected to decrease to an estimated 5.547 cents per kWh June through September 2013.

*This is a snapshot of plans. The rates and details of offers can change. Beware that plans may change drastically after the initial term. Rates only reflect the price of the power itself. The ComEd price includes the "Electricity Supply Charge" and the "Transmission Services Charge" (.811¢), both under the "Supply" section of ComEd bills. The Purchased Electricity Adjustment (PEA), which changes monthly and can be a credit or a debit, is not included in ComEd's price to compare.