If you've opened your recent ComEd bill and felt a serious sense of sticker shock, you're definitely not the only one. People across Northern Illinois and the Chicago area have been hit with some of the highest rates in years, leading to the same frustrating question: "Why is my ComEd bill so high?"

It isn't just a simple case of inflation. It's a combination of massive grid infrastructure projects, the explosion of energy-hungry AI data centers in our backyard, and a big shift in how the regional power grid calculates the cost of keeping the lights on. Let's look at the actual data behind these spikes and what you can do to protect your wallet.

The Numbers: A Historical Look at ComEd Supply Rates

To understand where we are, we have to look at where we've been. ComEd's supply rates (the "Electricity Supply Charge" on your bill) have seen significant volatility over the last four years:

1. The "Capacity Charge" Explosion

The single biggest driver of the June 2025 price spike isn't the cost of the electricity itself, but the cost of keeping the lights on. This is known as the "capacity charge."

PJM Interconnection, the regional grid operator that includes Illinois, recently concluded its capacity auction. The results were staggering: capacity prices surged by 830%, jumping from $28.92 to $269.92 per megawatt-day.

2. The Data Center Hub: Chicagoland's AI Boom

Northern Illinois has quietly become one of the nation's largest data center hubs. Between 2020 and 2025, over 80 data centers have become operational in the Chicago area, with dozens more planned.

These facilities—essential for artificial intelligence (AI), cloud storage, and quantum computing—require massive, constant amounts of electricity. This unprecedented increase in demand puts pressure on the grid's existing supply, further driving up prices for residential and small business customers who share the same infrastructure.

3. Multi-Year Delivery Rate Hikes

While supply is the most volatile part of your bill, the "Delivery" portion (the cost to maintain the lines and transformers) is also rising. In 2024, the Illinois Commerce Commission approved a multi-year rate plan for ComEd to fund infrastructure upgrades, grid hardening against climate change, and support for the clean energy transition.

For the average residential customer, this adds several dollars to the monthly bill every year through 2027.

How to Fight Back: Strategies for Consumers

Even with rising baseline prices, you have options to lower your actual monthly expenditure:

The Verdict

We can't control the global energy market or the number of data centers being built in Illinois, but we can control how much we pay for the energy we use. Staying informed about Chicago electricity price spikes and using tools to track rates in real-time is the best way to keep your utility bills from spiraling out of control.