ComEd, Illinois' electricity behemoth, is overhauling its billing system come Friday—expect changes galore if you're a customer. In an announcement, ComEd stated the revamp aims to birth a more "sophisticated" system promising better customer service. Brace yourselves for some downtime though; self-service tools will be AWOL for six days during the transition, per ComEd's alert found in an NBC Chicago report.
While the ComEd faithful on autopay get to kick back, as their account numbers will shift seamlessly, the rest aren't so lucky. The renumbering means if you're dealing with banks for your monthly dues, it's time for action. That new account number is a ticket you need to grab and update in your bank's bill pay service—and pronto in early 2024—ComEd pressured.
Meanwhile, another cost-related storm is brewing in the Land of Lincoln. Illinois consumer advocates, wielding Senate Bill 2885 and House Bill 5061, want to stop utilities from dipping into customers' wallets to cover lawyers, donations, and PR stunts. If you've coughed up cash for utilities' legal battles or their goodwill endeavors, these bills aim to ax that. The Citizens Utility Board crunched the numbers and found that utilities burned a cool $28 million in legal and expert witness fees in rate cases, as stated in a piece by Capitol News Illinois.
Yet, ComEd reps defend their corner, assuring that only "prudent and reasonable" costs are billed to customers, "ComEd must demonstrate to the Illinois Commerce Commission that the investments it recovers from its customers are prudent and reasonable," Shannon Breymaier from ComEd told Capitol News Illinois. Each penny is supposedly sanctioned by watchdogs. Illinoisans, though, may well focus on the comings and goings of new account numbers as their bills sport a fresh look, starting around Feb. 20.
In the background of billing brouhaha, charity spending by utilities, currently up for dibs on your dollar, could see a turnover. With alleged political schmoozing done with these funds, the Governor's office back in 2020 spat it out straight—charitable should mean charitable, not from ratepayers' pockets. As of now, Governor Pritzker hasn't tossed his hat into the ring on the pending legislation.
And let's not forget trade association dues and "goodwill advertising"—utilities shell out $6.5 million annually on these, CUB reveals. Such moves, however, might find their swag bag slit as the proposed legislation aims to slash these costs too. Customers tired of footing the bill for their utility's social clubs and image buffing could see some relief if reformers have their way.
