COLLINSVILLE, Ill. — Ameren Illinois customers will be seeing an increase in their utility bills this month, and it's not just because you'll have that A/C running with the high temperatures.
Ameren Illinois announced, starting in June, customers will see their power bill getting higher.
The company said because power costs more, customers are going to have to pay more.
Ameren Illinois said you'll pay more because natural gas prices have skyrocketed in part due to the war in Ukraine and restrictions on Russian fuel.
The company also said the demand for fossil fuel energy is high because fossil fuel plants are closing faster than renewable energy plants are opening.
The average customer will see an increase of $626 annually – that’s an average of $52 more on your bill a month.
Ameren Illinois buys power from a third party, the Illinois Power Agency, and said the costs are passed onto the customer without any mark-up.
Thursday morning, groups are meeting at the company's headquarters in Collinsville to protest the price hike.
The Illinois Clean Jobs Coalition, United Congregations of Metro-East, several groups of the Sierra Club Illinois and more will gather at Ameren Illinois for the demonstration.
In a press release 5 On Your Side received from these groups, they claimed that Ameren's customers could get steeper increases on their energy bills.
If you're worried about how you'll pay for your higher bill this summer, here are some Ameren programs that could help:
- Ameren's Warm Neighbors Cool Friends program is designed to help low-to-moderate-income customers and senior citizens.
- The company's 'Peak Time Rewards’ program gives bill credits for reducing energy usage during peak times.
- Lastly, just call your utility provider. It’s a much better idea than dodging bills
Ameren is offering payment arrangements through July 31 for eligible customers. You may have to make a down payment to receive this service.
We checked in with Ameren Missouri to see if its customers will see a change in prices. Representatives say users should see a lower bill this month. We received the following response:
Ameren Missouri electric customers will actually see a slight decrease in their bills – the Missouri PSC recently approved a change to the Fuel Adjustment Charge effective yesterday, June 1.
The new Fuel Adjustment Charge (FAC) rate applicable to residential customers will be 0.238 cents/kWh lower than the current rate, resulting in an overall charge (for the average residential customer using 1,036 kWh of usage per month) of approximately $.42 a month. This is a $2.43 decrease from the current adjustment of $2.85 per month.
The primary factors driving this rate adjustment were lower fuel and purchased power costs needed to meet energy consumption for the period, among other factors.
- The FAC is adjusted three times a year and reflects changes in Ameren Missouri's fuel and purchased power costs, net off-system sales revenues, and associated transportation. This charge may change – both up and down – based on actual costs.