What happens in the next 11 months will have a lot to do with how much more money consumers will pay to utility companies. The Illinois Commerce Commission will need to work overtime to ensure the bills are fair.
Last Tuesday, ComEd submitted a request for a record-high rate increase, following the timing for making rate increase requests set in the 2021 Climate and Equitable Jobs Act. But four other utilities — Peoples Gas, Ameren, Nicor and North Shore Gas — also have submitted requests for delivery rate increases. That’s a lot of work to dump on regulators’ laps all at once, to make sure consumers don’t take too much hit to their wallets.
