{"id":38401,"date":"2023-10-12T10:55:30","date_gmt":"2023-10-12T15:55:30","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.citizensutilityboard.org\/?p=38401"},"modified":"2023-10-12T10:56:46","modified_gmt":"2023-10-12T15:56:46","slug":"as-comed-and-ameren-charge-new-winter-rates-cub-issues-statewide-warning-on-alternative-supplier-rip-offs","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.citizensutilityboard.org\/blog\/2023\/10\/12\/as-comed-and-ameren-charge-new-winter-rates-cub-issues-statewide-warning-on-alternative-supplier-rip-offs\/","title":{"rendered":"As ComEd and Ameren charge new winter rates, CUB issues statewide warning on alternative supplier rip-offs"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"\"As of October, ComEd and Ameren Illinois are charging new electricity supply rates, and customers should know what they are to avoid bad deals peddled by alternative electricity suppliers, the Citizens Utility Board (CUB) said Thursday in a statewide consumer warning<\/a>.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

The non-summer prices, through May 2024, are listed on <\/span>PlugInIllinois.org<\/a><\/strong>,<\/strong> the electric choice website maintained by the Illinois Commerce Commission (ICC).\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Ameren Illinois:<\/strong> 8.107\u00a2 per kilowatt-hour (kWh) for up to 800 kWh of usage. Every kWh beyond that is 7.094\u00a2 per kWh. (This is Ameren\u2019s supply price + a transmission charge +<\/span> a supply cost adjustment.)<\/span><\/p>\n

ComEd:<\/strong> 6.872\u00a2 per kWh. (This is ComEd\u2019s supply price plus a transmission charge.)<\/span><\/p>\n

ComEd and Ameren bill customers to deliver the electricity to their homes, but those customers have the right to choose either their utility or an alternative company to supply the actual electricity. The utility supply rates above are called the \u201cprice to compare\u201d\u2014the rate customers should compare to alternative supplier offers pitched to them.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cPeople should beware of bad deals offered by alternative electricity suppliers door-to-door, over the phone and via mail,\u201d CUB Director of Communications Jim Chilsen said. \u201cWe have seen painfully high prices peddled by suppliers\u2013this is a buyer-beware market. The safest and most reliable way to save money on your electric bills is through energy efficiency.\u201d \u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Since 2015, Illinois consumers have lost more than $1.6 billion to alternative electricity suppliers, <\/span>according to CUB\u2019s review of reports from the ICC\u2019s Office of Retail Market Development<\/a><\/strong>. <\/span>Just this fall, Illinois Attorney General Kwame Raoul\u2019s office sued Residents Energy LLC for alleged \u201cdeceptive and unfair tactics\u201d that tripled the energy costs of some customers. And the ICC recently ordered Switch Energy, a supplier no longer doing business in Illinois, to pay about $2.16 million in total penalties for wide-ranging violations of ICC rules and state law. \u201cThe Company has demonstrated a behavior of prioritizing sales over critical consumer protection measures,\u201d the ICC said in its final order. <\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

A review of alternative supplier prices listed on PlugInIllinois.org<\/a> in October found many charging higher rates than the utilities, with the worst prices 10 cents per kWh on up. At a recent utility bill clinic in Alton, CUB staffers saw customers paying alternative supplier prices of 14 cents per kWh, 16 cents per kWh and 20 cents per kWh. CUB\u2019s Outreach Director recently saw a ComEd customer paying an alternative supplier 10.99 cents per kWh. These prices were all significantly higher than the utility supply rates, raising concerns among CUB staffers.<\/p>\n

Knowing the \u201cprice to compare\u201d helps consumers avoid bad deals and make informed decisions about their power bills. Visit <\/span>CUB\u2019s Electric page<\/a><\/strong> to find fact sheets about making the best choices in the electricity market. Other tips:<\/span><\/p>\n