Today, we’re urging electricity customers across the state to sign petitions to the Illinois Commerce Commission (ICC), based on two recent ICC votes.
The good news is that on Dec. 9, the ICC voted for a $66.7 million rate cut for ComEd customers. Rates were expected to go down, but ComEd had wanted the reduction to total about $50.4 million. CUB and other consumer advocates fought for a higher decrease–and we got it!
Still, we think customers deserve an even bigger cut, and we plan to tell the ICC that in a formal filing. In the meantime, we’re asking all ComEd customers to sign CUB’s petition to help strengthen our case before the ICC.
Unfortunately, on the same day the ICC also voted for $150 million in Ameren gas and electric rate hikes ($105.8 million for electric, $44.5 million for gas). CUB said the news was like a “big lump of coal” for Central and Southern Illinois consumers. We’re challenging the increase before the ICC, and we’re urging Ameren customers to sign a petition in favor of lowering the rate hike.
As it stands now, the ComEd cut will reduce bills by an average of $1 a month beginning in January. Ameren’s increases will jack up power bills by a range of about $2 to $7 a month, and gas bills by a range of about $2 to $6 a month.
Read CUB’s statements on the ComEd and Ameren decisions. We pay these bills too, so we’re all in this together. Let’s fight back.