Why Is My ComEd Bill So High?

Before blaming anything, it helps to know what you're looking at. A ComEd bill has two big buckets:

• Supply — the electricity itself. This is where the price spike lives. ComEd's price to compare (supply price + transmission charge) is 10.103¢/kWh through May 2027.
• Delivery — getting that electricity to your house through ComEd's wires, plus fixed monthly customer and meter charges. This part is set by Illinois regulators, not the wholesale market.

When people say "my bill doubled," it's almost always the supply side doing the damage. One cushion worth knowing: Illinois' Climate and Equitable Jobs Act puts a line item on ComEd bills called the Carbon Free Energy Resource Adjustment, which flips into a credit when energy prices run high. It ranged from about 1.6 cents per kWh in September down to about 0.115 cents per kWh in October — real money off the supply charge. That benefit is scheduled to end in June 2027, so don't count on it forever.

1. Data centers blew up the wholesale market. PJM Interconnection — the grid operator covering ComEd's territory — buys future generating capacity at annual auctions. Data-center demand sent those auctions to record highs: $28.92 per MW-day a few cycles ago, now at the federally approved cap of $329.17–$333.44. PJM's own market monitor attributes most of the increase to data centers, and those costs sit inside your supply price. We covered this in depth in our data centers and electricity bills explainer.

2. The nuclear credit is shrinking. That Carbon Free Energy Resource Adjustment credit mentioned above is monthly-adjusted — it was about 1.6¢/kWh in September and fell to about 0.115¢/kWh in October. As it shrinks toward its June 2027 expiration, bills creep up even if nothing else changes.

3. Delivery costs keep rising too. Grid maintenance, storm hardening, and infrastructure upgrades flow through the delivery side of the bill, which Illinois regulators approve separately. This is the slower, steadier climb — less dramatic than the supply spike, but it never really reverses.

ComEd itself estimates the elevated prices could cost customers about 12% more on average from June 2026 through May 2027 — and notes that hot weather and higher usage can push the real impact much higher for individual households.

• 1. Compare your supply rate. If you buy electricity from an alternative supplier — or through a municipal aggregation deal — compare its rate against ComEd's current price to compare: 10.103¢/kWh through May 2027. The Citizens Utility Board publishes the comparison, and its standing warning applies: beware bad alternative-supplier deals with teaser rates that explode later.
• 2. Try ComEd Hourly Pricing. This long-running program charges you the real hourly wholesale price instead of a flat rate. In September 2026 ComEd reported record enrollment — more than 70,000 residential customers — with over $63 million in total supply savings since 2007. More than 80% of participants paid less than the standard fixed rate in 2025, saving an average of $166 a year. The catch: it only works if you can shift usage — laundry, dishwashing, EV charging — to cheaper off-peak hours. If your usage is locked into afternoons, skip it.
• 3. Look at the new Time-of-Day Pricing. Launched in July 2026, this one varies both supply and delivery charges by time of day — the first ComEd residential rate to touch delivery charges this way. EV owners who enroll can also earn $2 per vehicle per month in bill credits for up to 24 months (two vehicles max). Worth a look if you charge an EV overnight.
• 4. Get a free home energy assessment. ComEd's Energy Efficiency Program sends an advisor — in person or virtual — to review your lighting, heating, cooling, and appliances, then installs free or discounted gear on the spot: LEDs, smart thermostats, faucet aerators, pipe insulation. Schedule at ComEd.com/Assessment or call 855-433-2700. Low-income households can also qualify for free weatherization upgrades.
• 5. Grab the smart thermostat rebate. ComEd rebates up to $75 on an ENERGY STAR smart thermostat installed with qualifying heating/cooling equipment — but it must be purchased, installed, and registered by December 31, 2026 for this program year. A smart thermostat is also the single easiest way to make Hourly Pricing or Time-of-Day rates actually pay off.
• 6. Use budget billing to kill the surprises. ComEd averages your payments across 12 months. It doesn't reduce the total — but it ends the $300 summer-bill shock. Free to enroll.
• 7. Know the assistance programs before you need them. ComEd offers LIHEAP-linked bill assistance, flexible payment arrangements of up to 18 installments (24 for limited-income households), and CARE grants. The Village of Bartlett's own website points residents to ComEd at 1-800-Edison-1 for billing and outage help.