Secret ‘risk rankings’ unfairly target struggling customers for faster gas, electricity cutoffs, consumer groups say

Jose Silva looks over his unpaid gas and electric bills at his Belmont Cragin home. Consumer groups worry that vulnerable consumers could get disconnected quicker. (Anthony Vazquez/Sun-Times)

Illinois electric and gas companies are quietly sorting their customers into different “risk” categories that could mean faster disconnections for people struggling to pay their bills and more leeway for those who aren’t.

Customers never see this information. It doesn’t appear on bills. But consumer groups are raising questions about whether the practice of “risk ranking” is fair, and state regulators are now taking a look.