As millions of Illinois consumers face spiking electricity supply prices this year, Commonwealth Edison and Ameren Illinois are pushing to increase another part of our power bills, delivery charges, by a total of $299 million.
The Illinois Commerce Commission (ICC) has already approved four-year rate plans (through 2027) for both ComEd and Ameren, but a provision in state law–which CUB opposes–allows the utilities to recover extra expenses in yearly “reconciliation” cases, if they go over-budget on capital and operations and management expenditures. Consumer advocates can challenge the utilities’ proposals in these reconciliation cases before the ICC.
“We will continue to intervene in these reconciliation cases to challenge wasteful spending,” CUB Executive Director Sarah Moskowitz said. “But we support ending this reconciliation benefit for utilities. ComEd and Ameren must manage their budgets responsibly–when they don’t, the burden shouldn’t fall on customers.”
Here’s the latest on those reconciliation cases.
ComEd (Docket 26-0215)
Background: ComEd received a $500 million rate hike in 2023–much smaller than what the company wanted–and the ICC ordered them to come up with a new four-year plan to make improvements to the grid. Eventually, ComEd won an additional $606 million rate hike, spread out through 2027.
Last year, the utility received a $243 million reconciliation increase (it wanted $268.5 million). One bright spot in the ruling was that the ICC rejected most overrun costs related to fixing billing problems that have plagued ComEd customers since February of 2024. (Customers have complained about problems–billing delays, overcharges and other errors–since the utility launched its new billing system.) CUB supported that part of the ICC ruling: “ComEd customers shouldn’t have to pay for the utility’s incompetence,” the consumer group said after the ruling.
In its latest reconciliation case, the utility claims it went over budget by $234 million in 2025 and is entitled to recover that money from their customers. That represents a 6 percent increase over what was originally approved for the year.
Ameren (Docket 26-0214)
Background: The ICC rejected Ameren’s four-year rate plan in 2023, awarding a fraction ($56 million) of what the utility wanted and ordering them to propose a new plan. Eventually, Ameren got the ICC’s OK for a new plan, which included a $309 million rate hike, spread out through 2027. In 2025, the company received a $48 million reconciliation rate hike (it had wanted $59.6 million).
Now, in a 2026 reconciliation case, Ameren wants to take another $65.3 million from consumers. That represents a 5 percent increase over what was originally approved for the year.
What’s next: Experts from Brubaker & Associates Inc., a firm that specializes in utility regulatory cases, have been reviewing the ComEd and Ameren proposals, and CUB will file their expert testimony this month. CUB expects ICC judges to issue proposed orders (in which the judges recommend how the full ICC should rule) in early November. The ICC will consider the judges’ recommendations and issue final ICC rulings in December. They can order higher or lower increases than the proposed orders.
What you can do: Sign our petitions urging the Illinois Commerce Commission (ICC) to say NO to wasteful spending in the ComEd and Ameren reconciliation cases.
Also, file public comments with the ICC against the proposed ComEd and Ameren rate hikes.
