Renewable Energy Companies in Chicago, Illinois

As the third-largest city in the United States, Chicago has a population of a little over 2.7 million, with each resident using various amounts of energy every day. Illinois became a deregulated state in 1997, which means residents can shop around and choose their energy provider for themselves instead of being forced to use a specific one.

Who provides electricity in Chicago?

When it became a deregulated state in 1997, the state of Illinois passed the Electric Service Customer Choice and Rate Relief Law, which made it so that its residents would have the ability to choose who supplied them with their energy.

In Chicago, electricity is delivered to homes by one utility company: Commonwealth Edison (often shortened to ComEd). As the utility company, ComEd holds responsibility for ensuring that all Chicago power lines are maintained and repaired, fixing power outages, and transporting electricity around the city and surrounding areas.

While ComEd supplies electricity to all homes and businesses in the state, business owners and residents can choose which company they’d like to purchase their electricity through.

Energy providers and utility companies in Chicago

Alongside Commonwealth Edison are a number of energy providers that actually supply homes and businesses with electricity, each setting their own energy rates. Energy providers in Chicago include:

• AEP Energy
• Champion Energy Services
• Clearview Energy
• Constellation NewEnergy
• Direct Energy
• Illinois Gas & Electric (ILG&E)
• MC Squared Energy Services
• Public Power
• ResCom Energy
• Spark Energy
• Inspire Clean Energy

These providers purchase your electricity on your behalf, which allows you to get a better price or choose a company with the same environmental values as you.

What is the cost of electricity in Illinois?

Most energy providers offer both fixed-rate energy plans and variable energy plans, typically for either a 6-month or 12-month contract.

With a fixed-rate plan, you’ll be charged the same rate for your electricity regardless of whether the overall market price of energy goes up or down. This means that you can accurately predict your electricity bill each month if you know your energy usage.

With a variable-rate plan, you’ll get the benefits if the cost of energy goes down. The problem is that you’ll also pay more if the cost goes up, and it makes it more difficult to budget for electricity costs every month. You will also find that your energy provider can raise their rates at their own discretion so, although you may start off paying a low rate, it could rise a lot higher than you expected.

Our Inspire Clean Energy plans offer you a flat price, meaning you pay the same amount every month, regardless of how much energy you use. We review your past energy usage to predict your ongoing energy use and offer you a fixed monthly price so you know exactly how much you’ll be charged for 100% clean, renewable energy each month.

Chicago electricity rates

Between January 2020 and May 2021, the ComEd electricity rate is 7.069 cents/kWh. If you are looking for cheaper rates, there are many energy suppliers to choose from with more than one plan to choose from. Let’s look at some of the best Chicago electricity rates from alternative suppliers.

Energy Supplier	Name and Term of Plan	Current Rate
Ambit Energy	Illinois Guaranteed Savings Plan - Variable	6.58 cents/kWh
American Power & Gas	AP&G Intro Rate - Variable	6.49 cents/kWh
Clearview Energy	Green Value Assurance 6 - 6 months; Variable	6.69 cents/kWh
Clearview Energy	Green Value Assurance 12 - 12 months; Variable	6.59 cents/kWh
Dynegy	Dynegy Secure Value 6 - 6 months	6.59 cents/kWh
Dynegy	Dynegy Secure Value 12 - 12 months	6.89 cents/kWh
Frontier Utilities	IL Premier 6 - 6 months	6.69 cents/kWh
Just Energy	JustGreen Fixed Price Plan - 3 months	6.99 cents/kWh
Just Energy	Fixed Price Plan - 3 months	5.49 cents/kWh
Liberty Power	Independence 18 - 18 months	6.99 cents/kWh
National Gas & Electric	Secure Power 6 - 6 months	6.59 cents/kWh
Santanna Energy Services	Competitive Price - 6 months	6.34 cents/kWh
Santanna Energy Services	Preferred Plus 12 - 12 months	6.48 cents/kWh
Switch Energy	ComEd Fixed 12 Month Rate - 12 months	6.99 cents/kWh

Although there are many other energy suppliers to choose from, these are currently the only suppliers that can provide you with a better deal than ComEd.

It’s worth noting, though, that you’ll need to do your research to find out where your electricity is coming from. While many of these plans offer the cheapest rates, few are green and likely can’t offer you 100% green, renewable energy. If the planet's future is more or as important to you as your bottom line, make sure you work out how much you’ll be paying each month and get a customized quote from us. We offer 100% clean energy, and you’ll pay the same amount for your energy, regardless of the current cost of electricity.

How to shop electricity rates in Chicago

The Illinois Commerce Commission operates a dedicated website called Plug-In Illinois®¹ to help Illinois residents choose their own electricity supplier. To compare offers, you simply select your utility service area from the drop-down menu, ComEd in the case of Chicago, and it will show a list of available suppliers along with prices per kWh, any additional fees they charge, term length, and a short description of the energy plan.

Green energy companies in Chicago

As the city commits to becoming greener, many clean energy companies are now available to choose from in Chicago. Many offer plans that provide you with 100% renewable energy from national or local clean energy sources. Green energy companies in Chicago include:

• AEP Energy with their 100% Wind Renewable American Energy plan
• Ambit Energy with their Green Select Variable plan
• Champion Energy with their Green Power plan
• CleanChoice Energy
• Clearview Energy
• Constellation Energy with their 100% Green plan
• Green Mountain Energy
• IGS Energy with their Green plan
• Illinois Gas and Electric (ILG&E) with their Green Plus plan
• Indra Energy with their Green plan
• Inspire Clean Energy with our Unlimited 100% Clean Energy Subscription plan
• JustEnergy with their JustGreen plan
• NRG with their Renewable Electric plan
• Star Energy Partners

Is Chicago’s renewable energy worth it?

Working toward a greener energy market is a crucial way to fight back against climate change, so renewable energy is always worth the investment.

Not only is renewable energy a clean source of power, but it also helps to reduce our overall dependence on fossil fuels, which are one of the largest contributors to climate change and environmental issues. The development of renewable energies also benefits the local economy as it creates job opportunities in manufacturing, installation, maintenance, research, and more.

The city of Chicago, in particular, has sustainability at the forefront of all of its policies, and they understand that renewable energies and other environmental benefits are the way of the future.

Switch to renewable energy in Chicago today

Taking the time to find the best energy price gives you the opportunity to reduce your monthly energy bills to put that money toward something a little more exciting. Not only that, but you can also make a positive change for the environment by switching to a green plan or, ideally, a fully green energy supplier like Inspire.

We offer our members 100% clean, renewable energy at a flat monthly price. Our members are as dedicated as we are to creating a healthier, greener planet, and if you too are passionate about protecting our environment, you’ll love our clean energy plans. Click here to find out more or to sign up in just a few minutes today.

Sources:

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1. pluginillinois.org↩