It seems like everyone is trying reach into Chicagoans' pocketbooks these days. From Mayor Rahm Emanuel's substantial property tax hikes to the state's proposal to tax drivers by the mile, the expenses are piling up swiftly. Now ComEd, the utility that provides electricity for all of Chicago, is trying to jack up its rates in the coming year, according to a report from the Tribune.
ComEd's proposed rate increase is twofold. The first is an increase to transmission rates, which would take effect in June and raise the average customer's monthly bill by about $1. The second increase that the utility is pursuing would hike monthly bills by another $2 in January 2017, covering ComEd's ongoing modernization of its electricity grid, including the installation of electronic smart meters in consumers' homes.
Each request will need to be reviewed and approved by the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission and the Illinois Commerce Commission, respectively, before they go into effect. ComEd's last approved rate hike, which took effect in 2015, increased monthly bills by an average of $2.50, according to Crain's. The utility shows no sign of slowing down improvements to its infrastructure, so the luxury of being able to charge your phone (and your iPad, your laptop, your toaster, etc.) at home is only going to become a pricier proposition.