Why Is My ComEd Bill So High in 2026?

If your ComEd bill feels higher in 2026, there is a good chance the answer involves more than one thing.

Your total electric bill can change because of:

• Electricity supply prices
• Transmission
• Delivery charges
• Your choice of electricity supplier
• Weather
• Household usage
• HVAC efficiency

And in northern Illinois, there is another factor worth understanding:

What Is ComEd's Current Price to Compare?

ComEd's Price to Compare (the default supply price you can compare offers against) is 10.399¢ per kWh, effective June 1, 2026.

The Price to Compare combines ComEd electric supply and transmission service charges.

It does not represent the entire bill.

Delivery charges, taxes, fees and other applicable adjustments are separate.

Why Did ComEd Supply Costs Rise?

One of the biggest current factors is the regional PJM capacity market.

The PJM capacity auction for the June 2026 through May 2027 period cleared at $329.17 per MW-day.

That is about 22% higher than the previous year for ComEd territory. It is roughly 11 times the level from two years earlier.

ComEd estimated that the elevated supply price could cost customers approximately 12% more on average from June 2026 through May 2027.

Actual household bills will vary based on usage and weather.

Are Data Centers Part of the Reason Your ComEd Bill Is High?

Yes.

This is one of the states where we can say that more directly.

Analysts who watch the PJM market have named data-center power demand as the primary driver of the recent capacity-price increase.

To be clear:

Why Does PJM Matter to a ComEd Customer?

ComEd is part of the PJM Interconnection regional electricity market.

PJM coordinates electricity supply and grid reliability across a large multi-state region.

That means your electricity cost is influenced not only by what happens in Chicago or Illinois.

It can also be affected by:

• Regional generation supply
• Power-plant retirements
• Transmission constraints
• New industrial loads
• Data-center demand
• PJM capacity auctions

Electricity is regional even though your utility bill is local.

Illinois Data-Center Growth Is Large Enough to Affect Forecasts

The Illinois Power Agency says data centers are driving major increases in forecast electricity demand.

Its 2026 procurement plans note that large data centers are generally commercial loads. They are not directly part of the power the agency buys for homes. But their growth still affects the wider electricity system.

The state's longer-term forecasts also show much higher expected power demand than earlier plans did. Data centers and electrification are among the major reasons.

But Your Household Usage Can Still Matter More

Suppose ComEd's supply price rises.

At the same time, your summer usage changes from 900 kWh to 1,400 kWh.

Now you are buying 500 additional kWh at a higher price.

That combination can make the bill feel dramatically worse.

So the right diagnosis still starts with:

Step 1: Compare kWh Year Over Year

Look at July 2025 usage versus July 2026 usage.

Do not compare dollars alone.

If the bill rose 25% but usage rose 20%, most of the increase may not require a mysterious explanation.

Your house consumed more electricity.

Why Might Summer Usage Rise?

Common northern Illinois causes include:

• Air conditioning
• High humidity
• Dehumidifiers
• Pool equipment
• Older HVAC
• Poor attic insulation
• Leaky ducts
• More people home during summer

An older AC system can compound higher supply prices by requiring substantially more electricity to provide the same comfort.

Winter Bills Can Spike Too

Illinois winters can drive electric usage through:

• Heat pumps
• Auxiliary heat
• Space heaters
• Electric water heating
• Furnace blowers
• Basement heating

A household using resistance heat during very cold periods can see dramatic consumption changes.

Step 2: Check Who Supplies Your Electricity

Illinois has retail electric choice.

You may buy supply from ComEd default service, an Alternative Retail Electric Supplier, or a municipal aggregation program.

Roughly 1.14 million residential customers statewide currently use an alternative retail electric supplier.

That means your generation price may not even be ComEd's default price.

Compare Your Supplier Against the Price to Compare

Say your third-party supplier charges 13¢ per kWh. ComEd's current Price to Compare is 10.399¢ per kWh. You should understand exactly what extra value you are getting for that higher price.

There may be contract protections, renewable products or fixed-price terms.

But do not assume an alternative supplier is automatically cheaper.

Watch Contract Expiration Dates

Some competitive electricity contracts begin with an attractive fixed rate and later change.

Review:

• Contract expiration
• Renewal terms
• Variable-rate provisions
• Early termination fees
• Municipal aggregation status

A supplier issue may sometimes be easier to solve than a whole-home energy problem.

Step 3: Evaluate HVAC

If kWh increased substantially, look at the cooling or heating system.

Ask:

• How old is the equipment?
• Is runtime increasing?
• Are temperatures uneven?
• Is airflow weak?
• Is humidity high?
• Is auxiliary heat running frequently?

The goal is not automatically replacing HVAC.

It is understanding whether HVAC is causing the increased load.

Step 4: Check the Building Envelope

Illinois weather exposes a poorly insulated home in both directions.

In summer, heat enters. In winter, heat escapes.

Look at:

• Attic insulation
• Air leakage
• Windows and doors
• Ductwork
• Basement and rim-joist leakage

If the home needs less energy, it becomes less exposed to future electricity prices.

Step 5: Consider Hourly Pricing Carefully

Illinois also offers hourly or real-time electricity pricing options.

These can work well for households that can shift flexible use into lower-cost hours. Examples include EV charging, laundry, dishwasher use and battery charging.

But real-time electricity can also become very expensive during stressed grid conditions.

It should be selected based on actual household behavior — not because “hourly pricing sounds cheaper.”

Step 6: Reduce the Load First

Suppose your household currently consumes 15,500 kWh per year.

HVAC and efficiency improvements reduce it to 12,500 kWh.

That is 3,000 fewer kWh exposed to ComEd supply costs, PJM capacity costs and future rate changes.

Step 7: Evaluate Solar

Illinois has a particularly strong solar-policy environment.

Residential solar can potentially combine reduced grid purchases, Illinois Shines REC value and utility-specific billing rules.

But 2026 solar economics are different from older online examples. The former federal residential clean-energy tax credit is no longer available for spending after December 31, 2025.

Any current proposal should be modeled using 2026 rules, not an outdated 30% federal-credit assumption.

Step 8: Evaluate Battery Storage

Battery storage may provide:

• Outage resilience
• Sump-pump backup
• Refrigerator backup
• Internet
• Medical equipment
• Solar self-consumption

Its value depends on the household problem you are trying to solve.

Should You Buy Solar Because ComEd Prices Are Higher?

Not automatically.

Higher electricity prices improve the value of avoided grid purchases.

But you should still determine:

• Who supplies your power?
• What is your current rate?
• How much electricity do you use?
• Is HVAC wasting energy?
• What would solar cost?
• What Illinois incentives apply?

The goal is not simply replacing a utility bill with a solar payment.

The goal is improving the home's overall energy economics.

The Ashborn Approach

Ashborn Partners helps Illinois homeowners look at utility and supplier costs, electricity usage, HVAC, solar, battery storage and whole-home efficiency. It all happens in one personal home-energy review.