Electricity choice options have been available in Illinois for business customers since 2007. Illinois electricity companies have been competing to service commercial and industrial clients in the ComEd and Ameren territories since long term rate caps expired in those areas. However electricity rate options had not reached the residential market until recently.
The Illinois Electric Service Customer Choice and Rate Relief Law of 1997 opened up the Illinois electricity market and allowed electricity companies to enter the market and offer generation supply rates. Prior to Illinois electricity deregulation, the incumbent utilities (ComEd, Ameren) were responsible for all three aspects of electricity – generation, transmission, distribution – as well as all customer interactions. Illinois electricity choice separated the power generation from the power delivery. ComEd is now only responsible for delivering the electricity (transmission and distribution), however it should be noted that transmission charges are included in the price to compare with the generation rates.
The ComEd price to compare is the official default rate that ComEd customers pay for generation and transmission who do not select a competitive electric company. All competitive electricity rate offers will include the generation and transmission charges. This allows customers to accurately compare the ComEd default rate to competitive offers so consumers can see how much they can save by switching suppliers. Currently customers who take the time to find lower ComEd rates can save over 15% off of the price to compare.