Prices for Ameren Illinois customers are set to decline beginning Oct. 1 after significant increases over the summer.
According to the Illinois Commerce Commission, the supply charge for Ameren customers will fall to 8.4 cents per kilowatt hour for anything below 800 kilowatt hours and 7.5 cents per kilowatt hour for anything above that. The supply charge – also known as the “price to compare” – is made up of the cost for electric supply added to the transmission service charge.
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In this case, Ameren’s electric supply costs for the fall and winter months come out to 5.9 cents per kilowatt hour for anything below 800 kilowatt hours and 5 cents for anything above that. In addition, the electric supply cost also includes adjustments for procuring the energy, working capital and other charges that are uncollectable, coming out to 0.21 cents per kilowatt hour.
A purchased electricity adjustment is also included in the cost, but according to the ICC, Ameren expects that cost to remain near zero for the time being.
As for the transmission supply charge, that comes out to 2.3 cents per kilowatt hour, designed to allow Ameren to recoup transmission services costs.
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The rates will remain in place from Oct. 1 until May 31, 2026.
The decline comes after a summer in which costs for electricity went up 50%, with a 12-cent per kilowatt hour supply charge being implemented after the Midcontinent Independent Supply Operator – which provides Ameren with its electricity – conducted its planning resource auction and discovered a reduced capacity for electricity across its region.
Ameren said at the time that it was required to obtain energy from generators such as MISO and pass on the costs without markup. The increase received criticism from watchdogs such as the Citizens Utility Board, which called on the company to assist customers who may have struggled to pay their bills.
Ameren wasn’t blamed for the increase — rather, CUB said that MISO compromised affordability by introducing a new pricing mechanism, the Reliability-Based Demand Curve, during the auction.
Data from the ICC shows that the price to compare sat at 12.2 cents per kilowatt hour this summer, up from 8.3 cents for the winter and spring of this year.
Municipal aggregation prices set to decrease
Customers participating in the city of Peoria and Peoria County’s municipal aggregation programs through Homefield Energy are also set to see a price decrease.
According to the city, the price to compare will decline in early December to 9.49 cents per kilowatt hour, down from the 12.9-cent price seen over the summer. However, the price is set to increase next summer to 13.9 cents per kilowatt hour, a one-cent increase from this summer’s price.
Anyone seeking to opt out of the program must do so before Sept. 30 by logging onto Homefield’s website and entering their opt-out code, calling Homefield at 1-833-200-9834, or by filling out an opt-out reply form provided to customers earlier this month.
Those opting out for the first time will have to wait until December 2026 in order to opt back in. Those who have previously opted out can opt back into the Homefield program at any time.
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This article originally appeared on Journal Star: Ameren Illinois electric prices change for winter and spring
