Ameren Illinois customers warned of price spike on summer electricity bills
(25News Now) — Ameren Illinois customers can expect sharply higher costs for electricity this summer even though Ameren does not profit from the increase and it is out of the utility’s control.
Ameren Illinois said a typical residential customer using 10,000 kilowatt hours of electricity a year will see an increase of 18% to 22%, costing about $45 per month from June through September. Prices are expected to head back to near current levels starting Oct. 1, according to the utility.
Ameren Illinois makes money from delivering electricity, but the increase taking effect June 1 is based on supplies from energy companies that sell electricity to utilities.
“These results highlight the ongoing energy challenge in downstate Illinois and the need for a more robust resource planning process on the state level,” an Ameren Illinois spokesperson said in a statement. “Balanced solutions, including transmission, energy storage, renewables, natural gas, nuclear, energy efficiency, and demand response, are needed to provide residents and businesses with affordable and reliable energy,” the company said.
The utility acknowledged the supply cost increase may cause financial strain for some of its customers. Ameren Illinois’ website provides information on financial assistance, flexible payment programs and energy-saving incentives.
The nonprofit watchdog Citizens Utility Board (CUB) has launched its own website offering tips for consumers to cope with the price hikes.
“High bills can be stressful, so we ask people across central and southern Illinois to check on neighbors, friends and family this summer to make sure nobody is taking risks by keeping their homes too hot,” said CUB Executive Director Sarah Moskowitz in a release. “Long-term, this price spike just shows we’ve got to keep working for consumer protections for electric customers.”
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