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Chicago Tribune
3 hours ago
- Business
- Chicago Tribune
Some ComEd customers seeing triple-digit bill increases as supply rate jump, heat wave converge
The first ComEd bills with a massive baked-in supply rate increase are hitting home for Chicago-area customers, and after a record heat wave in June, they may be in for some sticker shock. The spike in the wholesale cost of electricity, which ComEd buys at an annual auction and then passes through to its customers, paired with increased energy usage, added $67.28 month-over-month to the average June 30 bill, the utility said. Some ComEd customers saw a triple-digit increase in their total June bills, the utility said. 'It's a double whammy when you think about capacity price auctions and a very hot, unusually hot June,' Brad Perkins, ComEd's director of rates and revenue policy, told the Tribune. ComEd had warned that the supply portion of the bill would go up about $10.60 per month beginning in June because of last year's electricity auction, which set a higher price for the utility. But the projected increase was a 12-month average, and most customers were hit with a much bigger hike as the summer air conditioning season kicked off with a bang. Things could get even worse next year, based on another record rate increase at an annual capacity auction held Tuesday, which will set ComEd's price beginning in June 2026. The supply charge generally represents about half the monthly bill and does not benefit ComEd, which makes its profit on the delivery charges. The average residential ComEd customer pays about $108 per month for the total bill across the full year, not including the projected $10.60 supply charge increase, the utility said. But the impact of the increased supply rate varies based on actual usage, which is significantly higher during the hot summer months, when air conditioners work overtime to keep homes cool. The average June 30 bill was $146.08, driven primarily by increased supply charges, up $28.45 over the same month last year, ComEd said. For ComEd customers across the Chicago area, the June and July bills have been an unwelcome surprise. Olivia Odendahl, 26, who shares a Lakeview two-bedroom walkup apartment with a roommate, saw her July 18 ComEd bill more than double month-over-month to $120.83. Her supply charge increased by $36.39 for the monthly cycle dating back to mid-June. 'It was complete sticker shock,' Odendahl said. 'I feel like always in the summer, of course, it goes up just because you have your AC unit running, so I'm used to seeing an increase. But it's never quite been this high.' Her total June/July bill was up $35.23 over the same period last year, driven by a $28.37 year-over-year supply charge increase. In addition to the higher supply charge rate, her energy usage was up 26% over the 2024 June/July bill. Odendahl, a public relations professional who has lived and often worked remotely in the apartment just a few blocks from Wrigley Field for four years, said she is contemplating ways to cut down on her air conditioning and electricity usage, a challenging task this summer. 'It's hard because it's been so hot here,' Odendahl said. 'I don't want to have to turn off the AC all the time, but if my bill continues to be $120 every month … that's very not affordable.' The ComEd bill breaks out the supply costs as a separate line item that shows the number of kilowatt-hours used multiplied by the electricity rate. The cost of electricity rose from 5 cents per kilowatt-hour to 8.3 cents from kilowatt-hour beginning in June, which paired with increased energy usage, nearly doubled the average residential bill in Chicago over the previous month, ComEd said. The increased supply charge is slightly offset by a provision of the state's Climate and Equitable Jobs Act, which requires ComEd to issue a credit when energy prices go above a certain level. The 1.7 cent per kilowatt-hour credit shows up as a Carbon-Free Energy Resource Adjustment under the taxes and fees section of the bill. The credit didn't make much of a dent in the current ComEd bill for many customers, however, as the Chicago area experienced the sixth hottest June on record, according to the National Weather Service. Sweltering under a heat dome that brought oppressive triple-digit temperatures and humidity to large swaths of the Midwest and East Coast, average daily highs in Chicago topped 84.1 degrees in June, 3.7 degrees above normal. As such, Chicago-area ComEd customers used 836 kWh for the month, up 367 kWh over May and 90 kWh year-over-year, according to the utility, exacerbating the initial impact of the higher supply rate. While hotter summers may be here to stay, the wholesale price of electricity will definitely increase next year. PJM Interconnection, a Pennsylvania-based regional transmission organization, manages the electricity supply grid for 13 states, including ComEd's 4.2 million customers in northern Illinois. It holds an annual capacity auction for expected reserve electricity needed during peak demand, and last year those supply prices skyrocketed. Results for the annual PJM capacity auction Tuesday saw prices jump up again, rising from $269.92 per Megawatt-day last year to a record $329.17 per Megawatt-day, a 22% increase which will set higher supply prices for ComEd and its customers beginning in June 2026. The annual auction price Tuesday could have been even higher, but was limited by a newly implemented price cap agreed to by PJM following a complaint to the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission filed by Pennsylvania Gov. Josh Shapiro, with support from Gov. JB Pritzker. 'While we are relieved that the negotiated price cap prevented capacity costs from soaring even higher, this price spike is unacceptable,' Jim Chilsen, a spokesperson for nonprofit watchdog group Citizens Utility Board, said in a statement. 'CUB is deeply concerned that ComEd customers will continue to bear painfully high costs for another year, largely because of policy shortcomings from PJM.' ComEd issued a statement Tuesday in the wake of the capacity auction results. 'ComEd remains committed to keeping energy affordable today and planning for a more reliable future; and we recognize that rising electricity costs are challenging for families across northern Illinois,' the utility said. 'The latest PJM auction reflects broader market challenges, like increasing demand and fewer available generation resources.' Beyond the higher supply rate and oppressive heat wave, ComEd customers are potentially paying more than they should because of what may be the most inefficient electrical system in the nation, according to Whisker Labs, a Maryland-based company which monitors the safety and reliability of the grid. Whisker Labs has distributed its Ting plug-in sensor to more than 1 million homes in the U.S. to detect electrical faults in the home and on the grid, primarily as a fire prevention tool. In the process, the company has accumulated data on electric service nationwide, ranking regions based on the distortion in power delivered to homes, which reduces energy efficiency and damages appliances. The ComEd territory essentially has the least efficient electrical grid in the country, with 40% of homes experiencing power distortion at 8% or greater, according to Whisker Labs. That means roughly 1.7 million ComEd customers are paying upward of $500 per year in energy waste, according to Bob Marshall, CEO and co-founder of Whisker Labs. 'ComEd in particular shows that they by far have the highest percentage of homes that have harmonics that are outside of industry acceptable limits,' Marshall told the Tribune. 'It causes a reduction in the energy efficiency of everything that uses electricity in the home.' Marshall said there are more than 50,000 homes in the ComEd territory using the Ting sensor, some of which were provided by insurance companies to minimize the risk of electrical fires. The devices monitor power surges, distortion and outages. In turn, the total harmonic distortion levels provide a real time health report on the quality of the electric utility's grid infrastructure, which delivers the power to customers. Chicago-area hotspots for elevated power distortion include Northbrook, Lincolnwood, Schaumburg, Long Grove, Kildeer, Norwood Park, South Holland and Country Club Hills, according to a Ting map supplied by the company. 'It is an accurate measurement, and with 100% certainty, we can say that these problems are originating on the grid,' Marshall said. ComEd questioned the methodology behind the Whisker Labs data, and said it has one of the most reliable electric grids in the nation. At the same time, the utility acknowledged that the increased cost of the electricity is impacting many of its Chicago-area customers this summer, with low-income customers being hit the hardest. Anticipating this summer's one-two punch of the supply rate increase and higher energy demand, ComEd launched a $10 million relief fund July 7 to help struggling customers catch up with rising bills and keep the electricity flowing this summer. But nearly 60,000 customers applied for the one-time grants in the first week, and the fund is fast running out, the utility said. 'The $10 million fund was a step in the right direction, but it's painfully short of what is needed to answer this price spike,' Citizens Utility Board spokesperson Chilsen said. 'And the fact that this fund depleted so quickly is a sign of the urgency of fixing the problems behind the spike: PJM's policy shortcomings.' ComEd plans to launch a low-income discount program for qualifying customers in January, and envisioned the $10 million relief fund as providing 'a bridge' to next year, Perkins said. Relief can't come too soon for Liliana Olayo, 51, who lives in a 65-year-old house in Aurora with her daughter, grandson and mother. On a budget billing plan, Olayo pays ComEd about $80 per month year-round, but she had already fallen behind by about $380 when the June 17 bill landed. The supply charges nearly doubled from May, jumping from $39.27 to $75.36 — a more than $36 monthly increase. The total current charges were up nearly $50 to $143.13, meaning Olayo will likely fall deeper in the red during the sizzling summer of '25, with another blast of heat and humidity descending on Chicago this week. 'It's frightening,' she said. 'I hate to see the bills like that and I'm hoping for a miracle that the charges will be less. But the electricity is always higher in the summer and it's a necessity.' While Olayo qualifies for low-income utility assistance, she likely has missed the window to apply for ComEd's $10 million customer relief fund, and will need to wait until January for cooler weather and the utility's discount program to arrive. In the meantime, she and her family are looking to navigate the sharply rising electricity costs and temperatures this summer, turning off lights and appliances when not in use and visiting the library or mall during the day to cool off. 'So we give a break to our air conditioning and the electricity,' she said. 'But it's very hard.'
Chicago Tribune
2 days ago
- Politics
- Chicago Tribune
Pope Leo XIV renews his call for an immediate ceasefire in Gaza
CASTEL GANDOLFO, Italy — Pope Leo XIV renewed his call on Sunday for an immediate ceasefire in Gaza, asking the international community to respect international laws and the obligation to protect civilians. 'I once again call for an immediate end to the barbarity of this war and for a peaceful resolution to the conflict,' the pontiff said at the end of his Sunday Angelus prayer from his summer retreat in Castel Gandolfo. Pope Leo also expressed his 'deep sorrow' for the Israeli attack on the only Catholic church in the Gaza Strip on Thursday, which killed three people and wounded 10 others, including the parish priest. Will Pope Leo forge greater LGBTQ+ inclusion? Chicago-area Catholics pray for 'reconciliation rather than division.''I appeal to the international community to observe humanitarian law and respect the obligation to protect civilians as well as the prohibition of collective punishment, the indiscriminate use of force, and the forced displacement of populations,' the pope added. The shelling of the Holy Family Catholic Church in Gaza also damaged the church compound, where hundreds of Palestinians have been sheltering from the Israel-Hamas war, now in its 21st month. Israel expressed regret over what it described as an accident and said it was investigating. 'We need to dialogue and abandon weapons,' the pope said earlier Sunday, after presiding over Mass at the nearby Cathedral of Albano. 'The world no longer tolerates war,' Leo told reporters waiting for him outside the cathedral.
Chicago Tribune
4 days ago
- Health
- Chicago Tribune
UChicago Medicine to discontinue all gender-affirming pediatric care
Bowing to federal pressure under the Trump administration, UChicago Medicine has become the latest Illinois hospital to end gender-affirming pediatric care. The decision, announced Friday, leaves no room for ongoing transitional care, and an unknown number of patients in limbo. 'UChicago Medicine has reached the difficult decision that, in response to continued federal actions, it will discontinue all gender-affirming pediatric care effective immediately,' the hospital said in a statement. 'We understand that this news will have a significant impact on our patients.' The announcement by UChicago Medicine, the esteemed century-old academic medical health system based at the University of Chicago, follows a similar decision by Rush University System for Health, which 'paused' hormonal care to new patients under the age of 18 beginning July 1. Rush is continuing to offer mental and behavioral support, but referring gender care patients that need additional treatment to other providers. UChicago Medicine will no longer be on that shrinking list of hospitals providing gender-affirming pediatric care, which can include counseling, medications to delay puberty and surgery. In January, President Donald Trump issued an executive order ostensibly protecting children under 19 from 'chemical and surgical mutilation' that threatened to withhold federal research grants as well as Medicaid and Medicare reimbursement for institutions that provide such pediatric gender care services. 'We reached this conclusion in light of emerging federal actions, which would place at risk our ability to care for all Medicare or Medicaid patients,' UChicago Medicine said in its statement. 'These patients make up the majority of those we serve. As the largest Medicaid provider in Illinois, this step is necessary to ensure UChicago Medicine can continue serving our broader community and delivering on our mission.' Federal pressure to end gender-affirming pediatric care has caused several Chicago-area hospitals to curtail such services. In February, Lurie Children's Hospital paused gender-affirming surgeries for patients younger than 19, a policy which remains in place, the hospital said earlier this week. Meanwhile, UI Health allegedly canceled an Illinois teenager's gender-affirming chest surgery, according to a February federal court filing. Reached earlier this week, UI Health would not say if it was still providing gender-affirming care to minors. As for UChicago Medicine, all gender-affirming pediatric care ends Friday. 'Our focus right now is working with affected patients to discuss options going forward,' the hospital said in its statement. rchannick@
Gulf Today
4 days ago
- Business
- Gulf Today
Analysing a city's jobs initiative for the young
The city of Chicago is connecting more young people with work than it has in years. The mayor's office recently announced that nearly 29,000 teens and young adults were hired this summer through One Summer Chicago, a city-led jobs initiative for people ages 14 to 24. That's welcome news: Research shows summer jobs can reduce youth violence, boost academic and career outcomes and support mental well-being. It turns out that kids still like responsibility — and the independence that comes with earning their own cash. The One Summer Chicago youth jobs programme has grown under Mayor Brandon Johnson; there were just 20,544 participants in 2022. Johnson pledged in his campaign to double the programme as a violence prevention strategy, according to the Tribune News Service. Still, the underlying model raises questions. The city partially or fully subsidises these jobs. Without taxpayer funding, many wouldn't exist. In a stronger local economy, teens would be able to find work without so much government matchmaking. We should also note that the city's youth jobs initiative still falls short of pre-pandemic levels, when more than 30,000 young people were hired annually, including over 31,000 in 2019. Demand continues to far exceed supply, with roughly 51,000 applicants competing for limited spots in 2023, due in part to funding constraints and a lack of private-sector partners, according to WBEZ. Anecdotally, we've heard from many Chicago-area families that their teens are having a hard time finding work, even when they want it. As costs increase and wages rise — the statewide minimum wage grew to $15 this year, and Chicago's is up to $16.60 — many businesses are hiring fewer workers. And when that happens, young people with less training and experience often don't make the cut. Look no further than the reductions many Chicago restaurants are making to their workforces. Restaurants and service jobs are among the most popular for young workers. But as labour costs rise, many businesses are cross-training employees and cutting staff. As we've written, Chicago's decision to continue increasing the tipped minimum wage won't help. The good news is that, nationwide, overall youth unemployment has been declining. At the same time, rising school and university attendance has reduced the number of young people participating in the labor force, which in turn lowers the unemployment rate among that group. But like many other economic indicators, Illinois trails the national average. The state's youth unemployment rate is higher than the US yearly average — consistent with Illinois' broader trend of elevated joblessness across all age groups compared with the rest of the country. In Chicago, the challenge is especially acute. More than 45,000 young people ages 16 to 24 were both out of school and unemployed in 2022, a figure that far exceeds both state and national benchmarks. Employment disparities are even starker for Black and Latino youth. For example, the jobless rate for Blacks aged 16 to 19 nearly doubled in a single year, climbing from 9.4% in 2021 to 17.5% in 2022, according to a 2024 report from the University of Illinois Chicago's Great Cities Institute. In some predominantly Black neighbourhoods, that number soared as high as 92%. When it comes to youth jobs, the stronger the economy, the more opportunities there will be for teens trying to make some money while school is out and gain valuable experience. But even when conditions aren't ideal, the private sector has a role to play. The city of Chicago's financial constraints are as tight as we can remember, and the city shouldn't be the primary provider of summer jobs for teens anyway. As much as they're able, private-sector employers should make summer work opportunities available and help soak up some of that excess demand for jobs. Everyone in Chicago will benefit if more of our youth are gainfully employed while school is out.
Chicago Tribune
5 days ago
- Politics
- Chicago Tribune
Today in Chicago History: Wellington Church joins sanctuary movement to provide safe haven for refugees
Here's a look back at what happened in the Chicago area on July 18, according to the Tribune's archives. Is an important event missing from this date? Email us. Weather records (from the National Weather Service, Chicago) 1896: James Foulis, a native of St. Andrews, Scotland who became professional at Chicago Golf Club in Wheaton, shot 78-74—152 at Shinnecock Hills Golf Club on Long Island to win the second U.S. Open golf championship. Foulis' prize was $200. John Shippen, believed to be the first Black and American-born golf professional to play in the U.S. Open, placed fifth. Foulis lost to Joe Lloyd in the third U.S. Open, which was held at Chicago Golf Club in September 1897. 1982: The Wellington Avenue Church congregation voted to join the sanctuary movement — becoming just the second church in the United States to harbor refugees who entered the country illegally. The movement, which had roots in the medieval tradition of churches providing sanctuary for those fleeing persecution, was aimed at providing a safe haven for Central Americans running from political repression and violence in their home countries. They were refused asylum here because of U.S. support for the governments of El Salvador and Guatemala. About 20 Chicago-area churches became sanctuaries in the 1980s. 1991: Senators voted 31-23 to approve a nearly $1 billion plan to expand McCormick Place exhibition center to more than 1 million total square feet through a mix of convention-related taxes including city levies on hotels and meals within a restaurant taxing district, new fees on Cook County auto rentals and taxes on commercial rides to and from O'Hare and Midway airports. The House later approved the measure 65-44. Gov. Jim Edgar signed the legislation two months later. In addition to the construction of a South Building, the plan also included revamping Lakeside Center, adding exhibition space to the North Building, creating a glass-enclosed concourse to link the entire complex and rerouting DuSable Lake Shore Drive to create the 'museum campus' — the Field Museum, the Shedd Aquarium and the Adler Planetarium. Vintage Chicago Tribune: How McCormick Place's Lakeside Center came to be on the lakefrontNot included — a proposed $400 million domed stadium nicknamed 'McDome,' which could have housed the Chicago Bears. Ground was broken in 1993 and the South Building opened its doors to the International Housewares Show three and a half years later. The McCormick Place complex now offers more than 2.6 million square feet of exhibition space, 600,000 square feet of meeting space and the 10,000-seat Wintrust Arena. Subscribe to the free Vintage Chicago Tribune newsletter, join our Chicagoland history Facebook group, stay current with Today in Chicago History and follow us on Instagram for more from Chicago's past.
