The new ‘hidden’ charge on your electric bill that’s infuriating thousands across the state
An updated fee buried in June bills is catching some households by surprise, and it’s likely only the beginning.
If you live in northern Illinois and open your electric bill this month with a confused squint, you’re not alone. Starting June 1, ComEd customers are being hit with a hefty new charge that’s driving bills up by around $10 per month – roughly $100 a year. But what’s really aggravating customers isn’t just the size of the increase. It’s how quietly it arrived.
The “capacity charge,” a standard item tucked into bills each June, has quietly become a major expense. And while ComEd says it’s simply following market conditions, watchdogs say the system is failing the people it’s meant to serve.
Why is your ComEd bill suddenly 45% higher than last summer?
The increase, described by Chicago-based consumer group Citizens Utility Board (CUB) as “significant,” boils down to a 10-cent-per-kilowatt-hour surge in supply rates. That’s a 45% jump over last summer’s rate, triggered by what ComEd calls rising supply costs and a tight electricity market.
ComEd, which serves 4 million customers across northern Illinois, says the capacity charge reflects how much electricity you used during last year’s summer peaks, multiplied by a rate based on current electricity market conditions. So even if you’ve cut back this year, you’re still paying for last summer’s habits.
The new rate applies across the board, whether you’re on ComEd’s standard plan or its hourly pricing model. In one case, it’s a separate line item. In the other, it’s baked into the total. Either way, you’re paying more.
CUB blames the grid operator, PJM hits back.
During a virtual press conference on May 19, CUB’s Communications Director Jim Chilsen pointed the finger at PJM Interconnection, the grid operator responsible for balancing electricity supply across 13 states, including Illinois. CUB argued PJM’s poor planning and policy failures had driven up costs, with utilities like ComEd passing the pain on to consumers.
PJM wasn’t having it. In a fiery statement, the grid operator accused CUB of “knowingly propagating a fallacy” and rejected claims that it had mismanaged the situation. According to PJM, the real problem is a nationwide imbalance between shrinking electricity supply and rising demand.
And the causes? PJM cites state and federal decarbonization policies, the explosion of energy-hungry data centers, the AI boom, and the push to bring manufacturing back to U.S. soil. In short, more demand, fewer resources, higher prices.
They also rejected accusations of slow progress in connecting new energy sources to the grid. PJM said it has cleared hundreds of new projects through its system, but many are stalled by state-level permitting delays, financing troubles, and supply chain bottlenecks.
What this means for you
For the average Illinois household, the fallout is simple: you’re now paying $10 more a month, or about $100 more over the next year, without using any more power than you did before. And unless energy demand somehow shrinks – or state and federal policies shift – this pattern is likely to continue.
ComEd says you can lower future charges by cutting electricity use during summer peak hours, typically hot weekday afternoons. But that won’t reduce what you owe this month.
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