Key takeaway: ComEd’s summer price to compare is 10.399 cents per kWh as of June 1, 2026, Peoples Gas has cut its pending rate request to about $7 to $8 a month, and Chicago water rates rose 1.85%.
Some good news first: Peoples Gas cut its rate request by nearly 30% in August, and Chicago’s 2026 water increase was smaller than any year since 2021. ComEd’s summer supply price did rise about 9% on June 1. Here’s what’s behind each change and how to keep your bills in check.
ComEd: the capacity auction effect
ComEd delivers your electricity, but the supply price on your bill follows a wholesale market run by PJM, the regional grid operator. Part of that price is capacity, a payment to power plants for being available when demand peaks.
PJM’s auction for June 2026 through May 2027 cleared at a record $329.17 per megawatt-day (Capitol Fax). That fed into ComEd’s price to compare, which rose to 10.399 cents per kWh for June 1 through September 30, 2026: 8.677 cents for supply plus 1.722 cents for transmission (MyUtilitySearch).
For the winter, the price to compare dropped to 10.103 cents per kWh from October 1, 2026 through May 31, 2027 (Plug In Illinois). For more on heating season costs, see our Chicago winter cost guide.
Peoples Gas: a rate case in progress
- January 2026: Peoples Gas asked the Illinois Commerce Commission for $202.3 million more a year, which it estimated at $10 to $11 a month for a typical home (WTTW).
- July and August 2026: the company cut its request to $144 million, which CUB estimated at about $6 to $8 a month. October 2026: an Illinois Commerce Commission Proposed Order recommends $66.2 million, with a final decision expected in November (CUB) (Capitol News Illinois).
- The reason given: an ICC order to retire 1,020 miles of old gas pipe under Chicago streets by the end of 2034.
- Context: this comes about three years after the ICC approved a record increase of roughly $300 million in 2023.
Peoples Gas says it expects Chicago heating bills to stay lower than in other major U.S. cities (WTTW). Consumer advocates, including the Citizens Utility Board and the Illinois Attorney General, have pushed regulators to trim the request further. The ICC’s final decision is expected in November 2026, with new rates around December.
Water and sewer
Chicago raises water rates every June 1 based on the prior year’s inflation. The 2026 increase was 1.85%, down from 4% in 2025 (Forest Park Review). Your sewer charge equals 100% of your water charge, so it rises by the same amount (City of Chicago).
What you can do
- Compare any alternative supplier’s offer against ComEd’s price to compare. Shopping only changes the supply part of your bill. Delivery charges stay with ComEd.
- Ask ComEd about its low-income discount and bill assistance programs (ABC7).
- Share comments with the ICC on the Peoples Gas case while it’s open.