CUBlog

If you want to read some great comments from some angry ComEd and Ameren customers, check out the public comments section of the Illinois Commerce Commission’s website. There are some heartfelt comments: “Neither the economy of Illinois or its citizens can take much more of Ameren’s greed,” says one customer.

ComEd employees were let off the hook after the company concluded its investigation of its decision to deliver a power generator to the home of a top O’Hare Airport offical during a Northwest Side power outage last August. Despite First Deputy Aviation Commissioner David Ochal promptly resigning after his neighbor’s complained about the generator, the Chicago Sun-Times reports that ComEd found that no clout or favoritism played a role in the delivery. With these ethics, it’s easy to see how ComEd justifies its $270 million rate hike.

With energy prices at all-time highs and a slumping economy causing everyone to pinch pennies, Illinois communities are finding ways to become energy producers, not just consumers. The village of Oswego recently passed a law giving any resident with more than 1 acre of land permission to build a windmill. Those who produce more energy than they consume can sell electricity back to ComEd, said Mike Buenger, Plans Examiner for the city of Aurora, a city which has also taken strides to ‘go green.’ Aurora’s Fire Marshal Gary Pozzi installed a solar panel on his home and said it has more than paid for itself. “I don’t know about you, but we are living in exciting times and we can make a difference,” writes the Aurora Beacon News.

Despite pleas from Huntley residents, state regulators unanimously voted to allow ComEd to build transmission lines along a village route, the Daily Herald reports. Those who live along the route say the transmission lines are an eyesore and will cause property values to plummet. “We’re very disappointed. That’s about all we can say about it,” said a Huntley homeowner. “We did everything to prove our case, but it went against us.”

ComEd has its own pledge giveaway now. Promise to use at least one Compact Fluorescent Light bulb (CFL) in your home, and you could win a number of prizes, including the Grand Prize, a free Energy Star-qualified appliance picked out with the help of ComEd’s “energy doctor.” He’s the guy in the white coat who ComEd sends out to give tips on energy efficiency. (Yeah, I feel like I need a guy in a white coat when I think of ComEd’s $270 million rate hike!) As part of its latest PR drive, ComEd is offering special discounts on nearly 2 million CFL bulbs at retailers such as Ace Hardware, Costco, The Home Depot, Jewel-Osco, Lowe’s, Menards, Sam’s Club, and True Value, while supplies last. (Participating Suppliers.) Hey, we won’t be offended if you take ComEd’s pledge, too. It’s all for a good cause: helping our planet and our pocketbook. Just remember, you can win a lot of great prizes–50 CFLs, a month of free electricity–by taking CUB’s pledge–and we’re not slapping you with a $270 million rate hike.

The Illinois Commerce Commission (ICC) gave initial estimates showing how ComEd’s $270 million and Ameren’s $162 million rate hikes would affect monthly bills. These are only estimates pertaining to “typical” customers. There are several factors that could make these numbers even greater, such as an individual home’s usage and whether it is a single or multi-family home.   

ComEd

Increase of about $4.50 per month.

AmerenCILCO

Electric: Decrease of about 55 cents per month for general-use customers and about 60 cents per month for electric space-heat customers.

Gas: Decrease of about $4-$9 per month during the six colder months. Increase of about $1-$2 per month during the rest of the year.

AmerenCIPS

Electric: Increase of about $2-$5 per month for general-use customers, and of about $2-$7 per month for those customers with electric heat.

Gas: Decrease of about $1-$3 per month during the winter months, and increase of about $2-$6 per month the rest of the year.

NOTE:   Some former Union Electric (UE) customers in the St. Louis Metro East area may see a $2.65 monthly reduction in their gas bills.

AmerenIP

Electric: Increase of about $6-$18 per month for general-use customers, and about $7-$15 per month for those customers with electric heat.

Gas: Increase of about $4-$9 per month during the winter months, and of about $2-$6 per month the rest of the year.

After months of intense debate, ComEd and the city of Burr Ridge are close to compromising on the fate of more than 400 village trees, the Doings Weekly reports.  ComEd originally planned to cut down the trees, but after passionate protest and the threat of legal action by Mayor Gary Grasso and other village officials, the two parties have been in gridlock. In a letter to ComEd, Grasso said each individual tree should be analyzed before deciding if it should be trimmed or cut down. He offered to split the cost of the survey with ComEd.  “This is an excellent opportunity for ComEd to partner up with the village and show good faith,” Grasso said.

The Rockford Register-Star reports on ComEd’s $270 million rate hike, which CUB is appealing. The first line of the story–”ComEd bills are going up this month, but the electric utility says it will keep the power on”–has a familiar ring to it. ComEd loves to throw out the specter of massive blackouts to justify a rate hike it doesn’t deserve. I’ll call it ”blackout blackmail.”

Jim Chilsen, CUB director of communications

“I cannot believe ComEd got away with imposing a $270 million rate hike,” writes the head of the Lake County Council for Seniors. ”This is the wrong move at the wrong time. Folks are struggling just to make ends meet, and it doesn’t seem like the economy will shape up anytime soon. Hitting people with higher utility bills only adds to the problem, especially for seniors on fixed incomes.” Read her letter to the editor in the Daily Herald.

Here’s the coverage on ComEd’s $270 million rate hike from the Chicago Sun-Times, the Chicago Tribune, the Daily Herald, The Associated Press, and Reuters.