Elizabeth, Author at Citizens Utility Board

Consumers for a Better Grid’s 2025 Year In Review

Elizabeth — Wed, 17 Dec 2025 19:13:49 +0000

It’s time for another annual reflection from CUB’s Consumers for a Better Grid Campaign. With millions of customers dealing with electricity price spikes, 2025 was a busy year advocating for consumers at PJM Interconnection and the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC). As part of that mission, the campaign held four media briefings, presented at or attended eight conferences, intervened in at least 10 legal cases, and was quoted by at least 25 different media outlets. Here’s more detail on what we tackled this year… Consumer education Many people have never heard of PJM Interconnection, but it manages the nation’s largest power grid–from northern Illinois all the way to the East Coast–and it has a major impact on electric reliability and affordability for 67 million customers across the country. So educating consumers about PJM is important. More and more grassroots groups and organizations across the PJM region have been reaching out for information and ways to engage with everyday consumers about this issue. To respond to this surge in interest, we recorded our PJM 101 briefing, which to date has over 1,000 views! In order to help make PJM material more accessible, Karen Tolentino, the Clean Energy Outreach and Communications Coordinator for CUB Español, re-recorded the video in Spanish. Legislative victories After years of effort, Maryland was the first state to pass a bill requiring utilities to report the votes they take at PJM–and Delaware and New Jersey soon followed. Campaign Manager Clara Summers has testified on the bill for the last two years—it was exciting to see it pass! Hopefully we’ll see more states pass this pro-consumer legislation. In Illinois, the CUB team was instrumental in passing the Clean and Reliable Grid Affordability Act. This sweeping energy legislation will help counteract high prices from PJM by bringing more batteries online and promoting energy efficiency, among other strong provisions. Litigation We intervened in at least 10 legal dockets at FERC, the Department of Energy, and in the courts on issues ranging from capacity market management, improving transmission planning, and protecting the ability of FERC to impose penalties on bad actors. There were a number of topics we worked on this year, but here are some of the biggest… Decoding the broken capacity market—past, present, and future Past and present: If you were plugged in last summer, you may remember that PJM’s capacity market produced record-high prices that would start to hit in June of this year. We worked to ensure consumers were prepared for the upcoming price spike (if you need more information and tips about spiking power prices, please visit our Help Center). In two Facebook Lives, Clara and Annie Warnock, Bilingual Consumer Rights Specialist, gave out important consumer information about the price spikes at the beginning and end of the summer. Future: Unfortunately, high prices will continue for several years. In July, the results of the 2026-27 capacity auction were announced–and once again the auction resulted in a record-high price. Clara was ready to break it down for the public, and Sarah talked through the results on WBEZ. In our statement, we wrote, “While we are relieved that the […]

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CUB Q&A: The Low-Income Discount (LID) Program for ComEd customers

Elizabeth — Wed, 17 Dec 2025 18:17:52 +0000

Following the introduction of low-income discount programs for Illinois’ major gas utilities and private water companies, Commonwealth Edison (ComEd) will be rolling out its own discount program in January of 2026. This program is required under the Climate and Equitable Jobs Act (CEJA) and will provide monthly electric-bill discounts for eligible customers. Who is eligible for these electric-bill discounts? Customers of ComEd whose incomes are at or below 300 percent of the Federal Poverty Line (FPL). Customers who receive Low Income Home Energy Assistance Program (LIHEAP) benefits (for households that are at or below 60 percent of the state median income) will be automatically enrolled in this discount program, so a good first step is to confirm if you qualify for LIHEAP. LIHEAP also qualifies you for your gas utility’s LID (for customers of Peoples, North Shore, Nicor, and Ameren Illinois). Stacking these three benefits can provide significant financial support for your utility bills. Important: If you earn too much to qualify for LIHEAP, you might still qualify for the LID program. Please review the eligibility requirements below and explore applying. How does the LID work? The LID program is a five-tiered system with a percentage-based discount associated with each tier. The amount of the discount will depend on the household’s income. ComEd has not yet announced the discount percentages that will be available for each tier. However, this information should become available as the program gets implemented in January. How do I know what Tier I’m in? Use the chart below to estimate your household income level for the past 30 days and your tier in the LID program. The chart can help you estimate eligibility, and the application process will confirm it. (A more comprehensive chart is linked here.) Number of people in Household Tier 1:0-50% FPL Tier 2:51-100% FPL Tier 3:101-150% FPL Tier 4:151-200% FPL Tier 5:201-300% FPL 1 Up to $652 $653 to $1,304 $1,305 to $1,956 $1,957 to $2,608 $2,609 to $3,913 2 Up to $881 $882 to $1,763 $1,764 to $2,644 $2,645 to $3,525 $3,526 to $5,288 3 Up to $1,110 $1,111 to $2,221 $2,222 to $3,331 $3,332 to $4,442 $4,443 to $6,663 4 Up to $1,340 $1,341 to $2,679 $2,680 to $4,019 $4,020 to $5,358 $5,359 to $8,038 5 Up to $1,569 $1,570 to $3,138 $3,139 to $4,706 $4,707 to $6,275 $6,276 to $9,413 6 Up to $1,798 $1,799 to $3,596 $3,597 to $5,394 $5,395 to $7,192 $7,193 to $10,788 7 Up to $2,027 $2,028 to $4,054 $4,055 to $6,081 $6,082 to $8,108 $8,109 to $12,163 8 Up to $2,256 $2,257 to $4,513 $4,514 to $6,769 $6,770 to $9,025 $9,026 to $13,538 How do I apply? There are two ways to apply, if you think your household qualifies (at or below 300 percent of the FPL): Tiers 1-4: Eligible households with income at or below 200 percent of the federal poverty level are eligible for LIHEAP benefits and, additionally, will automatically receive the ComEd LID. To receive an LID discount, those households must apply for LIHEAP through their local Community Action Agency. To get more information on how to locate a household’s Community […]

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CUB Challenges Ameren’s $59.6 Million Electric Rate-Hike Request

Elizabeth — Wed, 03 Dec 2025 17:17:43 +0000

A year after receiving a significant electric rate hike, Ameren Illinois is back before state regulators hoping to increase its delivery rates by an extra $59.6 million, the Citizens Utility Board (CUB) said Monday. The Illinois Commerce Commission (ICC) last year approved a $308.6 million Ameren electric rate increase, phased in over four years, but a provision in state regulatory law allows the utility to petition the ICC to recover extra expenses in yearly “reconciliation” cases, if they go over-budget on capital expenditures. “We will always challenge wasteful spending by the utilities,” CUB Executive Director Sarah Moskowitz said. ”And, while consumer protections have improved, we support ending this reconciliation benefit for utilities. If Ameren blows through its budget in a given year, customers shouldn’t have to pay the excess.” The ICC rejected Ameren’s first attempt at a four-year rate plan in 2023–in part because the utility didn’t do enough to show how the plan would be affordable or beneficial to customers. Ameren proposed a new plan last year, and the ICC approved a $308.6 million increase, spread out through 2027. Now, in its reconciliation case (Docket 25-0382), Ameren wants another $59.6 million. Consumer advocates, including CUB and the Illinois Attorney General’s Office, have uncovered at least $14 million in wasteful spending in Ameren’s reconciliation proposal. Below are examples of unreasonable spending in Ameren’s proposal, CUB argues: $62,928 to cover expensive outside contractors for work on a nearly $775,000 project that the utility had originally planned to handle internally. (Note: Ameren claims CUB should have to prove this spending was unnecessary, but that’s burden-shifting: The utility is the one asking for a legal remedy [more money] and therefore has to explain why it was so necessary to hire outside workers.) $200,000 to cover an unexplained increase in meter-reading expenses. Given that most customers have new digital meters that can be remotely read–as opposed to old meters that require manual reading–these costs should be going down, not up. $10.8 million to “reimburse” Ameren shareholders for employee retirement benefit fund contributions the utility cannot prove its shareholders made. Ameren has repeatedly, and unsuccessfully, tried to foist this expense on customers in regulatory cases. But Ameren, apparently, hasn’t gotten the message and is once again trying to force its customers to foot the bill for this expense. In early November, the regulatory judges issued a “proposed order” in the case–which is their recommendation on how the ICC should rule. The proposed order backed about $9.8.million in reductions for Ameren. The five-member Commission can follow the regulatory judge’s recommendations, or adjust them up or down, as they see fit. The final ruling is expected no later than Dec. 20, with rates taking effect shortly after. CUB called for Ameren customers to sign a petition urging regulators to say no to wasteful spending in the reconciliation case.

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CUB Q&A: AT&T letters announce end of landline service in 2027

Elizabeth — Tue, 02 Dec 2025 19:22:49 +0000

AT&T has been mailing letters to customers announcing that it is ending “AT&T Residential Local Service,” its traditional copper landline service, a.k.a. plain old telephone service. Here’s our Q&A on what’s happening: What do the letters mean? For over a decade, the telecom giant has been making moves to phase out landline telephone service across the country. These letters represent the latest step in that process. One letter, to current customers of AT&T’s traditional landline phone service, informs them that their service will be discontinued “on or after March 15, 2027.” Another letter–some people have reported receiving both–informs customers that as of Oct. 15, 2025, traditional landline phone service is no longer being offered to new customers and current customers cannot make changes to their existing service. (This also means current customers who move cannot get a traditional landline when they re-establish service in a new location.) Can AT&T do this? Yes, unfortunately. The company has now received approval from state and federal officials to move forward on ending its landline service in Illinois. For many customers traditional landlines have served as a reliable, affordable connection to family and friends as well as necessities such as 911 service, home security systems and medical monitoring devices. So CUB worked for years to block AT&T from deregulating local phone service. Here’s a brief history: AT&T’s earliest attempts to deregulate local phone service began in a case at the Illinois Commerce Commission (ICC) in 2006. That led to a legal settlement between AT&T and CUB that created a series of low-cost, safe-harbor plans branded the “Consumer’s Choice” plans. The fight then shifted to the Illinois General Assembly, where, for about a decade, CUB and other consumer advocates stopped AT&T from ending the “carrier of last resort” provision in the Illinois Telecommunications Act. That provision required AT&T to offer landline service to customers in its Illinois territory who wanted it. However, in 2017 the General Assembly passed a rewrite of the Telecom Act that gave the green light to end landline service, pending approval from the Federal Communications Commission (FCC). (Note: In 2022, AT&T was fined $23 million by federal authorities for using bribery to pass the 2017 legislation.) Also in 2017, AT&T successfully lobbied to end the Telecom Act’s requirement that it offer the low-cost Consumer’s Choice plans. In the years since, AT&T has significantly increased the cost of plain old telephone service, driving more people off landlines. This year, the FCC gave final approval to AT&T’s request to discontinue its status of being Carrier of Last Resort in Illinois, leading to the letters sent this fall. How many customers does this impact? These developments only impact AT&T landline customers. As of June of 2024, Illinois still had about 552,000 landlines–many, if not most, of those being with AT&T. What are my options for phone service if I lose my landline? You could replace your service with digital phone service, also called Voice over Internet Protocol (VoIP), through AT&T or another telecom company. You could also opt for cellular (wireless) service and ask to port your number to your cell phone. What should […]

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CUB Reacts To ICC Making Significant Cut To Nicor Gas Rate Hike

Elizabeth — Wed, 19 Nov 2025 20:34:03 +0000

CUB issued the following statement responding to the Illinois Commerce Commission (ICC) ruling on Nicor Gas’ rate-hike request: Any heating bill increase is too much for Nicor’s 2.3 million customers, who have been hit with four previous rate hikes in the last eight years – a period when profits for the utility’s parent company have totaled an astronomical $25 billion. It’s beyond troubling that a corporation getting so fat on its own prosperity continues to demand ever greater financial sacrifices from its customers. Against this backdrop, we’re thankful that state regulators responded by derailing Nicor’s bid to raid consumers for costs that were blatantly inflated and unwarranted. In shrinking Nicor’s requested $314 million increase by about half, the ICC’s ruling today exceeds the reduction recommended by two administrative law judges last month by an ample margin and reaffirms the Commission’s commitment to holding utilities accountable for every expense they attempt to charge consumers. With winter heating season in full force, and prices for groceries and health care putting a squeeze on household budgets, conditions for consumers are extremely fragile. We urge state regulators to continue to crack down on profit-mongering by Illinois’ gas utilities so no one is forced to choose between paying for fuel to heat or food to eat. Background: On Nov. 19, 2025, the Illinois Commerce Commission (ICC) issued a final order in Nicor Gas’ request for a state-record $314.3 million rate hike (Docket #25-0055). The order reduced Nicor’s rate hike by 47 percent, or $146.5 million, making the final increase $167.8 million. Among the proposals in Nicor’s rate-hike request, CUB challenged the utility’s attempt to capture an outrageous 10.35 percent Return on Equity (ROE), or profit rate for shareholders. The ICC’s final order reduced the ROE to 9.6 percent. This is Nicor’s fifth rate hike since 2017. Between 2017 and 2024, the utility has raised delivery rates by 114 percent, totaling $747 million, and its parent, Southern Co., has raked in about $25 billion in profits. Today’s increase adds to the total rate hikes since 2017. This increase impacts delivery rates, which take up about a third to a half of gas bills. It’s what Nicor charges customers to cover the costs of delivering gas to homes—plus a profit. The original rate hike was expected to hit customers with an average bill increase of about 9.28 percent, or about $7.70 per month. The ICC order means bills will still go up, but not as much as Nicor wanted. Warning: Even customers who pay an alternative gas supplier still pay Nicor’s delivery charges. So customers should beware of any sales representative who says they can avoid the rate hike by going with an alternative supplier. All Nicor customers pay these higher rates. Customers having trouble paying their bills should contact their utility to find out about assistance available, and the Help Illinois Families call center, at 1-833-711-0374, to learn more about the Low Income Home Energy Assistance Program (LIHEAP). Nicor is Illinois’ largest gas utility, serving 2.3 million residential, public sector and business customers.

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CUB Reacts To ICC Making Significant Cut To Ameren Gas Rate Hike

Elizabeth — Wed, 19 Nov 2025 20:26:28 +0000

CUB issued the following statement Wednesday in response to the Illinois Commerce Commission (ICC)’s ruling on Ameren Illinois’ gas rate-hike request: Any heating bill increase is too much for Ameren’s more than 800,000 gas customers, who have already been hit by four rate hikes in the last seven years – a period when profits for the utility’s gas operations have ballooned by a whopping 112 percent. At a time when Ameren is experiencing such unbridled prosperity, it shouldn’t be forcing its customers into more economic hardship. Against this backdrop, we’re thankful that state regulators responded by derailing Ameren’s bid to raid consumers for costs that were blatantly inflated and unwarranted. In shrinking Ameren’s requested $129 million increase by more than 40 percent, the ICC’s ruling today exceeds the reduction recommended by two administrative law judges last month by an ample margin and reaffirms the Commission’s commitment to holding utilities accountable for justifying every expense they attempt to charge consumers. With winter heating season in full force, and prices for groceries and health care putting a squeeze on household budgets, conditions for consumers are extremely fragile. We urge state regulators to continue to crack down on profit-mongering by Illinois’ gas utilities so no one is forced to choose between paying for fuel to heat or food to eat. Background: On Nov. 19, 2025, the Illinois Commerce Commission (ICC) issued a final order in Ameren Illinois’ proposal (Docket #25-0084) for a $128.8 million rate hike. The order reduced Ameren’s rate hike by 43 percent, or $55.8 million, making the final increase about $73 million. Among the proposals in Nicor’s rate-hike request, CUB challenged the utility’s attempt to capture an outrageous 10.7 percent Return on Equity (ROE), or profit rate for shareholders. The ICC’s final order reduced the ROE to 9.6 percent. This is Ameren’s fourth rate hike since 2018. In that time, the gas utility has raised delivery rates by $202 million, or 50 percent. Plus, the utility’s parent company, Ameren, has increased profits by 45 percent for a total of $6.9 billion, and Ameren Illinois’ gas segment has seen its profits more than double. Today’s increase adds to the total rate hikes since 2018. This increase, which will take effect before the end of the year, impacts delivery rates. Delivery rates, which take up about a third to a half of gas bills, are what the utilities charge customers to cover the costs of delivering gas to homes—plus a profit. The original rate hike was expected to hit customers with an average bill increase of roughly $8-$10 per month. The ICC order means bills will still go up, but not as much as Ameren wanted. Customers having trouble paying their bills should contact their utility to find out about assistance available. They also can call the Help Illinois Families call center, at 1-833-711-0374, to learn more about the Low Income Home Energy Assistance Program (LIHEAP). Ameren Illinois delivers gas to more than 800,000 customers in Illinois. The electric and gas utility covers more than 1,200 communities and 43,700 square miles in Illinois.

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Executive Director’s 2025 Report: A Heartfelt Thanks

Elizabeth — Mon, 17 Nov 2025 21:31:56 +0000

By Sarah Moskowitz, Executive Director, Citizens Utility Board Here is my report for 2025–CUB’s 41st year of consumer advocacy. I’m proud of how the CUB team served Illinois consumers in a tough year marked by a painful summer electricity price spike for ComEd and Ameren customers and rate-hike battles against Illinois’ biggest electric and gas utilities. The soaring price of electricity is why we worked so hard to help pass the Clean and Reliable Grid Affordability (CRGA) Act on the last day of the Illinois General Assembly’s Fall Veto Session. This was a major victory–I’ll explain more in the Policy team’s update below! The following department-by-department report is a snapshot of the work the CUB team (pictured at the bottom of this article) did in 2025. I’m honored to work alongside such a fantastic team, and I’m grateful we have such generous supporters. You help lead the charge for lower utility bills, consumer protections and cleaner energy, through your donations, by following our issues, and by signing petitions and sending messages. Together we are working hard to make a positive difference for utility customers in Illinois. On behalf of the CUB team, a warm, heartfelt thanks for your support. Legal Department–General Counsel Eric DeBellis CUB’s two-person legal team (Eric and Laura) in 2025 battled utility campaigns to raise delivery charges by $771 million: Nicor Gas (Docket 25-0055): $314.3 million Commonwealth Edison (Docket 25-0383): $268.5 million Ameren Illinois (gas) (Docket 25-0084): $128.8 million Ameren (electric) (Docket 25-0382): $59.6 million Your support at work: CUB and other consumer advocates have so far helped reduce rate hikes by more than $202 million ($146.5 million for Nicor customers and $55.8 million for Ameren customers, in the gas cases that state regulators ruled on Nov. 19). Over our 41-year history, we’ve helped save Illinois consumers more than $20 billion. Stay tuned: We will update this report after the Illinois Commerce Commission issues rulings on the electric rate cases in December. More on these cases below. Ameren Illinois ($59.6 million) and ComEd ($265.8 million) are pushing for higher electric rates CUB’s statement on Nicor rate-case ruling. CUB’s statement on Ameren rate-case ruling. Also, in February CUB applauded state regulators for issuing a ruling, after a year-long investigation, that finally attempted to rein in the over-budget and behind-schedule Peoples Gas pipe-replacement program. CUB thanked the ICC for “protecting consumers against the spiraling costs and intractable waste that have plagued Peoples Gas’ pipe-replacement program from its inception.” But our work is far from over: We expect Peoples Gas to file for another rate hike early in 2026. In another victory for consumers, CUB’s legal team worked at the ICC to create a “time of use” option for ComEd customers. Months later, the CRGA Act codified the option, ensuring that both Ameren and ComEd offer predictable time-variant rates that enable residential customers to save money by using less energy when demand is high. TOU rates can help delay or avoid altogether the need to build more pricey power plants or replace/upgrade grid equipment. Consumer Advocacy Department–Director Sandra Marcelin-Reme CUB’s Consumer Advocacy Department (Annie, Danielle and Sandra) has handled 1,315 consumer […]

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CUB Q&A: PJM’s Critical Issue Fast Path (CIFP) Policy Proposal on Data Centers

Elizabeth — Thu, 13 Nov 2025 16:12:51 +0000

What’s happening? On Wednesday, November 19, PJM members will vote on how to integrate data centers into the grid. As we’ve detailed elsewhere, data centers require massive amounts of electricity and drive up consumer costs. Some, but not all, proposals would ensure that data centers only connect to the electric system if we maintain reliability and affordability. Who is voting? PJM has 5 different types of members, Generation Owners, Transmission Owners, Electric Distributors, Other Suppliers, and End Use Customers (big industrial users of electricity and consumer advocates, like CUB). If you’re noticing how much power big monied interests have, and how little consumers have, you’re not wrong. Do state lawmakers have a vote? No. Does anyone represent the public interest? Only the 14 voting consumer advocate offices. Big tech companies like Google, Amazon, and Meta are not yet PJM members. How does the vote work? What are they voting on? There are 20 proposals! They all fall on a spectrum of doing next-to-nothing to protect reliability and affordability, to actually making data centers take responsibility for themselves. PJM Members can vote “yes” on multiple proposals. The vote is advisory, which means the PJM Board does not have to follow its results. However, proposals getting a significant amount of votes will certainly attract the PJM Board’s attention. What are the issues important to consumers? CUB is evaluating proposals based on the following criteria: -Require data centers to bring their own new generation or demand response for consistent service. Stealing existing generation doesn’t count. -…if data centers don’t bring their own generation or demand response, then they are required to act flexibly or be interruptible (can turn them off as needed). Data centers must never cause blackouts for the rest of us. -Improve the load forecast to make sure that PJM doesn’t double-count speculative data centers. -Overall, prevent data center capacity, energy, and transmission costs from falling on consumers. Which proposals meet CUB’s criteria? CUB has joined in with consumer advocates from Maryland and Pennsylvania on a proposal, called the Joint Consumer Advocates proposal. The proposal protects consumers from high capacity costs, limits energy costs, improves load forecasting, extends the price cap for two years, and starts a new stakeholder process to prevent data centers from increasing our transmission costs. The proposal was carefully developed with consumers at the forefront. Other proposals that meet CUB’s criteria include proposals by the Independent Market Monitor, the Legislative Collaborative/NRDC, and Silverman/Glatz. What are the stakes? Rolling blackouts and spiking bills. If nothing is done, we are looking at an average monthly increase of $70 on our monthly electric bills by 2028. By 2033, it could be $163 billion across all of PJM. That’s unacceptable. Read our other WatchBlog articles about reining in data center costs: How data centers are raising our bills in Illinois–and what we should do about it Data center distress: CUB, NRDC experts warn PJM states could get hit with forced blackouts, $163B in electricity capacity costs

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Good news! The Illinois EPA Electric Vehicle Rebate Program is Now Open

Elizabeth — Mon, 10 Nov 2025 21:21:56 +0000

Are you in the market for a new electric vehicle? You’re in luck– the Illinois Environmental Protection Agency ‘s Electric Vehicle Rebate program is open for rebate applications between now and January 31st. The income-qualified program’s rebate amounts include: A $4,000 rebate to a low-income applicant, as defined in the EV Rebate Act, for the purchase of an all-electric vehicle that is not an electric motorcycle (See Section 2 of the Instructions). A $2,000 rebate to an applicant that is eligible to apply for a rebate but does not meet the low-income criteria for the purchase of an all-electric vehicle that is not an electric motorcycle. A $1,500 rebate to an eligible applicant for the purchase of an all-electric motorcycle. Applicants must apply for the rebate during an open rebate cycle and within 180-days of vehicle purchase using the application forms available on the program webpage. Illinois residents interested in the program should read the eligibility requirements closely and gather all the necessary application materials in order to get the rebate while the funding allows. This year, the Illinois General Assembly has appropriated $14 million for rebates, thanks to the Climate and Equitable Job Act. For more information, read CUB’s Electric Vehicle Buyer’s Handbook and The ABCs of EVs series: CUB’s guides on electric vehicles and transportation electrification.

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ComEd ($268.5 million), Ameren ($59.6 million) push for extra delivery rate hikes

Elizabeth — Fri, 07 Nov 2025 18:50:51 +0000

In an already-expensive year of spiking electricity supply prices, Commonwealth Edison and Ameren Illinois are pushing to increase another part of our power bills, delivery charges, by a total of $328 million. The Illinois Commerce Commission (ICC) last year approved four-year rate plans 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 expenditures. Consumer advocates can challenge the utilities’ proposals in these reconciliation cases before the ICC. “We will always challenge wasteful spending by the utilities,” CUB Executive Director Sarah Moskowitz said. ”And, while consumer protections have improved, we support ending this reconciliation benefit for utilities. If ComEd and Ameren blow through their budgets in a given year, customers shouldn’t have to pay for it.” Here’s the latest on those reconciliation cases. ComEd (Docket 25-0383) 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. In its latest reconciliation case, the utility claims it went over budget by $268.5 million in 2024, and is entitled to recover that money from their customers. CUB’s take: Consumer advocates have uncovered at least $125 million in wasteful spending in ComEd’s proposal. Below are examples of unreasonable ComEd spending that, CUB argues, customers shouldn’t have to foot the bill for: $9.3 million in spending to fix ComEd’s billing system, which still isn’t working correctly. ComEd broke it, CUB says, customers shouldn’t have to pay to fix it. $7.6 million to build out the grid in preparation for a data center project that didn’t go online until the following year–and had less than half the energy demand than what ComEd had built out its system for. (This example speaks to why Illinois needs to have more protections in place for when utilities build and spend based on claims by data center developers that later turn out to be inaccurate.) A $5.8 million incentive payment ComEd says it deserves for hitting an affordability-metric target, set by the Climate and Equitable Jobs Act (CEJA), that aims to reduce disconnections in certain Zip Codes. CUB argues ComEd doesn’t deserve the money since the utility’s error-prone billing system prevented it from disconnecting customers for nonpayment for much of 2024. ComEd shouldn’t get to benefit from its failures. A $3.5 million incentive payment ComEd argues it deserves for hitting a CEJA performance-metric target for customer service. CUB argues there’s no justification for ComEd to get the money since, amid the billing-system problems, the utility lost the data necessary to prove its claimed improvement. $2.5 million in underexplained spending over their budget on operations and maintenance costs. $1.5 million to help resolve legal claims for injuries and property damage about which ComEd refused to provide specific information. Ameren (Docket 25-0382) 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 […]

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