Patch on Politics

ComEd Wants You to Pay More for Electricity You Used Last Year

The utility wants lawmakers to amend a 2011 rate-hike law to allow the utility to retroactively collect money for electricity already used.

 The Illinois Senate Executive Committee unanimously approved a request by ComEd and Ameren to "clarify" a 2011 law that allowed the utilities to raise electricity rates, Illinois Public Radio reports. The clarification would allow the power companies to retroactively charge higher rates for the electricity you've already used, potentially raising up to $70 million for ComEd, according to Sun-Times Media. The 2011 law changed the formula used to determine charges. But the utilities say it didn't work as intended. They say regulators aren't letting them charge what they need. Now the companies are back, asking the legislature to pass another law, clarifying the old one.  (Says) ComEd CEO Anne Pramaggiore: "Without it we are stalled in these…

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Tom S

9:42 pm on Sunday, February 17, 2013

Under the Smart Grid law passed in 2011, ComEd committed to spend $2.6 billion over 10 years to modernize the electric grid in Northern Illinois. The ICC's interpretation of the law reduced funding to complete the modernization program. As a result, ComEd faced a reduction in funding of nearly $100 million per year in 2014 and beyond. Without the additional funding, ComEd stated it could not …   more ›

St. Charles Restaurant Defrauded by Man Posing as ComEd Worker

St. Charles businesses, residents are served by city’s electric utility.

A man brazenly defrauded an East Side St. Charles restaurant after claiming to be a ComEd representative who would shut off power to the business during the noon hour Monday if it did not make good on an unpaid bill of $489.86. The sub and pizza restaurant in the 2700 block of East Main Street called police about 1 p.m. Monday after making the payment and later realizing that the city of St. Charles is the utility that provides its electricity. St. Charles police said the incident remains under investigation. Police said the incident began to unfold in the morning with a phone call to the restaurant from a man claiming to be a representative of Commonwealth Edison, which supplies electricity to many homes and businesses in the Chicago …

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Ted Schnell

11:54 am on Thursday, January 17, 2013

I wanted to thanks everyone -- Jeff, thanks for raising the point to begin with, and thank you beckysensei, Anna Koehler (howdy, howdy!), megan and Michael Mak for your responses.   more ›

New App, Online Map Available to Track ComEd Outages

An interactive map and smart phone app will convey information about outages quicker and better than ever, utility officials say.

As if experiencing a power outage is not frustrating enough, the situation intensifies when you cannot get information about it. ComEd Monday, May 7, announced two new ways in which it is using technology to communicate better and quicker with customers. The first is an interactive online outage map and, the second, a mobile application for smart phones. The interactive outage map is a color-coded map that allows customers to find information about: The outage map can be found under the Customer Service tab at comed.com or at comed.com/map. Using the map, customers can report outages and view all outages in the ComEd service territory. Color-coded icons indicate the number of customers affected by each incident. The map allows customers to…

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ComEd Seeks Rate Hike

The utility will use the new revenues to pay for "smart-grid" costs.

Commonwealth Edison Co. has filed to boost its electricity rates by nearly a dollar per month next year to finance local power-grid improvements it's making under the 2011 “smart grid” law that permitted the utility to hike its charges annually per a set formula, Crain's Chicago Business is reporting. ComEd's rate on an average residential bill will climb 97 cents from today's rates, Crain's reported from an April 30 news release. The Illinois Commerce Commission will review the request under provisions in the new law that sharply curtail regulators' leeway to reject the utility's costs and profit margins. ComEd's delivery rates actually will decline from June though December of 2012 because its authorized return under the law is less than…

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What Energy Goes into Our Homes

U.S. Census figures show homeowners' preferred choices.

In honor of the 42nd anniversary of Earth Day, observed every April 22, U.S. Census figures look at how we heat and cool our homes. Earth Day is intended to inspire awareness and appreciation for the Earth’s natural environment. The day came from reaction to a massive oil spill in waters near Santa Barbara, CA, in 1969. Earth Day, always April 22, has developed into Earth Week, April 16-22. Heating with Wood Less than 2 percent—2.2 million—of occupied housing units across the country were heated by wood in 2010. Heated by Solar Energy The estimated number of occupied housing units across the country heated by solar energy in 2010 was 38,010. ‘Cooking’ with Gas About half of all homes in the country—57 million—are estimated number of …

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