1.0Citizens Utility Boardhttps://www.citizensutilityboard.orgrich600338<blockquote class="wp-embedded-content" data-secret="XAeoGhgo2M"><a href="https://www.citizensutilityboard.org/blog/2025/05/09/cub-qa-capacity-price-spike-means-comed-supply-price-will-shoot-up-june-2025/">CUB Q&A: Why is ComEd’s electricity price spiking? </a></blockquote><iframe sandbox="allow-scripts" security="restricted" src="https://www.citizensutilityboard.org/blog/2025/05/09/cub-qa-capacity-price-spike-means-comed-supply-price-will-shoot-up-june-2025/embed/#?secret=XAeoGhgo2M" width="600" height="338" title="“CUB Q&A: Why is ComEd’s electricity price spiking? ” — Citizens Utility Board" data-secret="XAeoGhgo2M" frameborder="0" marginwidth="0" marginheight="0" scrolling="no" class="wp-embedded-content"></iframe><script type="text/javascript"> /* <![CDATA[ */ /*! This file is auto-generated */ !function(d,l){"use strict";l.querySelector&&d.addEventListener&&"undefined"!=typeof URL&&(d.wp=d.wp||{},d.wp.receiveEmbedMessage||(d.wp.receiveEmbedMessage=function(e){var t=e.data;if((t||t.secret||t.message||t.value)&&!/[^a-zA-Z0-9]/.test(t.secret)){for(var s,r,n,a=l.querySelectorAll('iframe[data-secret="'+t.secret+'"]'),o=l.querySelectorAll('blockquote[data-secret="'+t.secret+'"]'),c=new RegExp("^https?:$","i"),i=0;i<o.length;i++)o[i].style.display="none";for(i=0;i<a.length;i++)s=a[i],e.source===s.contentWindow&&(s.removeAttribute("style"),"height"===t.message?(1e3<(r=parseInt(t.value,10))?r=1e3:~~r<200&&(r=200),s.height=r):"link"===t.message&&(r=new URL(s.getAttribute("src")),n=new URL(t.value),c.test(n.protocol))&&n.host===r.host&&l.activeElement===s&&(d.top.location.href=t.value))}},d.addEventListener("message",d.wp.receiveEmbedMessage,!1),l.addEventListener("DOMContentLoaded",function(){for(var e,t,s=l.querySelectorAll("iframe.wp-embedded-content"),r=0;r<s.length;r++)(t=(e=s[r]).getAttribute("data-secret"))||(t=Math.random().toString(36).substring(2,12),e.src+="#?secret="+t,e.setAttribute("data-secret",t)),e.contentWindow.postMessage({message:"ready",secret:t},"*")},!1)))}(window,document); /* ]]> */ </script> A record price spike in an electricity “capacity auction” has caused Commonwealth Edison’s electricity price to  increase significantly from June 2025 through May 2026. ComEd estimates this could cost customers an extra $10.60 per month, on average, over 12 months. Read CUB’s Q&A below and visit CUBHelpCenter.com for more information.  What happened? In 2024, power grid operator PJM Interconnection announced the results of its capacity auction (technically referred to as the “Base Residual Auction”). This auction is how the grid operator secures reserve power in a vast region that stretches from the Midwest to the East Coast and includes ComEd’s territory in northern Illinois.  In that auction, covering the 12-month period from June 2025 through May 2026, prices for most of PJM jumped about 830 percent, from $28.92 per Megawatt-day in last year’s auction to a record $269.92 per MW-day. The prices were even higher in two eastern sections of PJM: The Baltimore Gas and Electric (BGE) zone in Maryland ($466.35 per MW-day) and in the Dominion zone in Virginia and North Carolina ($444.26 per MW-day).  [Update:  Since this blog was written, another capacity auction has been held to determine the capacity cost for 2026-2027. Unfortunately, the auction produced  another record-high price: $329.17 per MW-day. Read CUB’s statement  and our new WatchBlog article on what happened.] What exactly are capacity costs? Not only do you pay for the power you use now, but you also pay for power you could use in the future. Capacity refers to extra payments consumers give power plant operators for the commitment to have enough reserve electricity available if demand suddenly spikes. (Think of a hot summer afternoon, when everyone blasts the AC.) Normally, PJM holds annual auctions to secure capacity prices three years in advance. But PJM got off schedule years ago and July’s auction set the capacity price for the following June, only 11 months in advance.  This compressed auction schedule has contributed to PJM’s problems. Where does a capacity price increase appear on my bill? An increase in capacity prices will affect the supply section of your ComEd bill. For most customers, capacity costs are buried in ComEd’s per-kilowatt-hour (kWh) supply price–it’s one component of the price, typically accounting for roughly 20 percent of supply. (The exception is if you’re a customer of ComEd’s Hourly Pricing program–which charges you a supply price that can change hourly. Hourly Pricing customers see capacity as a separate line item on bills.) How much has an increase in capacity costs increased ComEd bills? ComEd’s supply price before June 2025 was just under 7 cents per kWh. Then, it shot up to about 10.03 cents per kilowatt-hour (kWh).  As of October 2025, the price was about 9.689 cents per kWh, which is about 47 percent higher than last October. ComEd says the spike will increase bills by an average of $10.60 a month over the next 12 months, or 10 to 15 percent, but the actual increase could run a lot higher depending on actual usage and weather. After a summer heat wave, some customers reported triple-digit increases in their ComEd bills. Hourly Pricing customers, who have […]https://www.citizensutilityboard.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/08/Screenshot-2024-08-06-161414.png821546