Illinois Electricity Rates - ComEd & Ameren Savings

Illinois deregulated its electricity market to give consumers more choices and better rates. FindEnergyRates.com simplifies the process by:

Illinois businesses can shop ARES suppliers the same way residential customers do. Under the Illinois Power Agency Act, any commercial or industrial customer of ComEd, Ameren Illinois, or MidAmerican Energy can choose an Alternative Retail Electric Supplier (ARES) for their electricity supply while keeping their current utility for delivery and grid maintenance.

The economics of switching depend on how your ARES rate compares to your utility's current Price to Compare (PTC). Illinois does not publish a single statewide PTC — ComEd's PTC resets on January 1 and June 1, while Ameren's updates quarterly. Because these benchmarks move with wholesale market conditions, ARES fixed-rate contracts don't always beat the utility default. The table below shows current ARES supplier rates alongside each utility's competitive landscape so you can evaluate whether switching makes sense for your usage level.

When does an ARES rate beat the utility? A fixed-rate ARES contract is most valuable when the utility PTC is rising or expected to rise. Locking in a 12-month rate below the current PTC guarantees savings for the contract term, regardless of future PTC changes. However, if the PTC drops below your ARES contract rate, you'll pay more than the utility default until your contract ends. For businesses, the decision often comes down to budget predictability versus short-term savings — a fixed ARES rate removes monthly rate volatility, which can be worth a small premium for forecasting purposes.

Commercial customers with usage above 700 kWh/month may qualify for custom pricing not shown in the table above. Higher-volume contracts attract better wholesale pricing from ARES suppliers, and multi-location businesses can often negotiate aggregated rates across their accounts.