In a year when we’re already paying elevated electricity prices, Illinois’ biggest utilities are piling on by pushing for more than $880 million in new rate hikes before the Illinois Commerce Commission (ICC).
The parent companies of these utilities raked in about $15 billion in total profits in 2025, and now they’re pushing for an increase in delivery rates, which is what they charge customers to deliver electricity, gas or water to homes. The total was up past $955 million, but the amounts of the increases typically get adjusted as the rate cases proceed before the ICC. The new total is $883.9 million.
Please help CUB’s two-person legal team–General Counsel Eric DeBellis and Regulatory Counsel Laura Loyd–by signing petitions against these proposed rate increases:
North Shore Gas: Proposing $14.4 million rate hike, which would increase bills by an average of $5 to $6 a month.
File a public comment with the ICC
Aqua Illinois: Proposing a $26.5 million rate hike, which would increase bills by an average of about $23 a month.
File a public comment with the ICC
MidAmerican Energy: Proposing $49.4 million rate hike ($40.8 million for electric and $8.6 million for gas), which would increase electric bills by an average of $18 a month, and gas bills by an average of $6 a month.
File public comments with the ICC against the MidAmerican electric and gas rate hikes.
Ameren Illinois: Proposing $65.3 million electric rate hike. (CUB is trying to determine a per-customer impact of this increase.)
File a public comment with the ICC
Illinois American Water: Proposing $129 million rate hike, which would increase water bills by an average of $10 a month, and wastewater bills by an average of $23 a month.
File a public comment with the ICC
Peoples Gas: Proposing $144 million rate hike, which would increase bills by an average of $6 to $7 a month.
File a public comment with the ICC
Nicor Gas: Proposing $221 million rate hike, which would increase bills by an average of up to $6 a month.
File a public comment with the ICC
Commonwealth Edison: Proposing $234.3 million rate hike, which would increase bills by about $2.97 a month.
File a public comment with the ICC
CUB will deliver petition signatures to the ICC. It’s important for regulators to hear from real people who would be impacted by these proposed rate hikes. The ICC will rule on most of these cases around November and December. The MidAmerican and Aqua cases will be decided next year.
And don’t forget: On top of these rate-hike battles, Illinois consumers are paying about 40 percent to 50 percent higher electricity prices, and a major reason is soaring demand caused by new and proposed data centers. CUB and other advocates are working to pass consumer protections in Springfield. You can send a message in favor of commonsense guardrails to make sure Big Tech is paying its fair share of energy costs connected to data centers.
