Ameren will charge Illinois customers 11.326 cents per kilowatt-hour for summer supply from June through September, a seasonal price that is 39% higher than it was two years ago.
The increase lands just as households are using more power to cool their homes, and it is already drawing a warning from the Citizens Utility Board, which said Monday that even with the higher rate, Ameren is probably the best bet for electricity supply compared with many alternative offers.
That warning carries weight because Illinois consumers have lost $2 billion to alternative electricity suppliers over the last 11 years. Sarah Moskowitz, the group’s executive director, said customers should carefully review any alternative electricity supplier offer pitched to them, adding that far too much money has already been lost to those deals and that Ameren is likely the better choice in this market.
The summer price is part of a broader stretch of elevated power costs that CUB said is being driven in part by stronger demand from new and proposed data centers. Ameren’s supply price is expected to ease from Oct. 1, 2026 through May 31, 2027, though the exact final prices have not been set.
For customers trying to keep bills down now, CUB said the safest move is often to stay alert rather than chase a pitch. The group warned people not to show an energy bill to a sales representative offering an alternative supplier, because an account number can be used to sign someone up without permission in a scam known as slamming.
Customers who already have an alternative supplier were told to watch their bills closely and leave if they are paying more than the utility’s supply rate. CUB also said households should check whether their community has a municipal aggregation deal, weatherize windows and doors, and look at programs that can reduce costs, including the Low Income Home Energy Assistance Program and solar panels.
Lawmakers are also weighing House Bill 4313, which would bar suppliers from charging more than 10% above the utility supply price and would require a customer’s signature before a contract can renew automatically if the supplier is raising the rate. Until then, the next decision for many households is simple: whether to stick with Ameren or take a pitch that may cost more than it saves.
