Friday, March 29, 2013
The electricity company is offering $10 million in assistance funds for those facing disconnection.
With the start of spring and an increase in temperatures, the end of the winter moratorium on service disconnections for residential customers has arrived. To help customers in financial hardship who may be facing disconnection, ComEd announced it has dedicated $10 million in assistance funds for the second consecutive year. These dollars are part of a five-year, $50 million commitment to help ComEd customers struggling to pay their utility bills, a result of Smart Grid law enacted in 2011. “We realize some customers fall on hard times and need assistance with paying their monthly electric bill,” said Val Jensen, senior vice president of Customers Operations, ComEd. “This is why we want to ensure customers who are in need are aware of …
Monday, March 4, 2013
A simplified take on what electrical aggregation in La Grange means for you.
What is electrical aggregation? A bulk discount on electricity. How does that happen?! The village negotiates lower rates for all. How will the village select a supplier? With the help of a consultant. Who will distribute the power and send my bill? ComEd will continue to be the distributor. What if my power goes out? You’ll still call ComEd. How will my rates change? Typical savings is 25 percent. What should I do if I want to sign up? Nothing—you’ll be opted in automatically. Then do I have to do this? You can opt out via mailed form. What if ComEd still has the lowest rate? Then La Grange will stay with ComEd. Who else has an electrical aggregation plan? Hinsdale, Brookfield and 200 more Illinois towns. When will the new rates take …
Saturday, February 16, 2013
The utility wants lawmakers to amend a 2011 rate-hike law to allow the utility to retroactively collect money for electricity already used.
The Illinois Senate Executive Committee unanimously approved a request by ComEd and Ameren to "clarify" a 2011 law that allowed the utilities to raise electricity rates, Illinois Public Radio reports. The clarification would allow the power companies to retroactively charge higher rates for the electricity you've already used, potentially raising up to $70 million for ComEd, according to Sun-Times Media. The 2011 law changed the formula used to determine charges. But the utilities say it didn't work as intended. They say regulators aren't letting them charge what they need. Now the companies are back, asking the legislature to pass another law, clarifying the old one. (Says) ComEd CEO Anne Pramaggiore: "Without it we are stalled in these…
Friday, December 14, 2012
Representatives from the electric company spoke at a jam-packed Western Springs Village Hall on Wednesday about the November surge that caused damage in many homes.
Representatives from electric company Commonwealth Edison went before Western Springs Village Hall on Wednesday night to answer residents’ questions about the November 27 power surge that many Western Springs and La Grange Highlands residents say caused significant damage to their homes and appliances. The hall was overflowing, with many attendees forced to stand for lack of enough chairs. Western Springs Village President Bill Rodeghier, State Representative Jim Durkin (R-Western Springs) and a representative for Congressman Dan Lipinski (D-3rd, also a Western Springs resident) were among them. ComEd engineering manager Bill Fredrick told the crowd that the surge happened when a 12,000-volt line on Edgewood Drive in La Grange Highlands …
Sunday, July 1, 2012
The utility said it had restored 96,000 customers as of 8 p.m. Sunday after a storm that featured high winds, rain and hail earlier in the day.
- AWARENESS
-
Sunday, July 1, 2012
The following comes from a Commonwealth Edison release: More than 360 ComEd crews are working around the clock to restore power after a severe storm tore through the Chicago area, causing power outages for more than 250,000 customers. As of 8 p.m. Sunday, power has been restored to over 96,000 customers. The storm struck suddenly and violently. According to the National Weather Service, the western suburbs experienced wind gusts of 60 to 90 mph, heavy rain and pounding hail. In Addison, more than an inch of rain fell in 25 minutes. There were a total of 3,400 lightning strokes recorded, primarily in the west and south. The hardest-hit areas are in ComEd’s northern region, where the utility is working with municipal officials and local …
Wednesday, June 27, 2012
If the city of Chicago ditches ComEd for an aggregator, ComEd customers who don't switch could see their rates double. Is La Grange moving forward on electrical aggregation just in time?
UPDATE 6 p.m.: The city of Chicago passed a resolution today to put electrical aggregation on the city's November 6 ballot. Chicago voters will have to decide whether the city should negotiate a better rate for them on electricity. An article published in the Chicago Tribune on Tuesday indicates that the village of La Grange might be moving forward on electrical aggregation just in time. Trustees in La Grange discussed and were unanimously supportive at their meeting on June 25 of putting a referendum on the November ballot in La Grange asking residents if the village should solicit bids from electrical aggregators on their behalf. The village of La Grange Park recently signed with First Energy, and residents will see a saving of about 40 …
Tuesday, May 29, 2012
A power outage in La Grange has left about 38 households without power.
A ComEd spokeswoman said about 38 households are still without power this evening after power went out in the early afternoon on Stone and Maple avenues in La Grange. The outage was caused by a tree branch that came into contact with powerlines today and will need to be repaired. Crews are currently on the scene and expect to have power restored in the area sometime later this evening. ComEd officials were not able to give a more precise estimate at this time as they are still waiting on specialized equiptment. An earlier estimate of the repair from ComEd's outage alerts on their website announced the company expected power to be back on by 5:30 p.m. To track the progress of this outage and others in the future, click here to be directed …
41.81868
-87.87852
N Stone Ave & W Ogden Ave, La Grange, IL
/articles/comed-power-outage-in-la-grange-to-be-fixed-tonight
/locations/7112881
Wednesday, May 9, 2012
Length of contract, sources of electricity and cancellation fees to be considered by Village Board in La Grange Park.
About 15 La Grange Park residents attended the first of two informational public hearings on the issue of electrical aggregation in La Grange Park on Tuesday night at Village Hall. Trustees in La Grange Park will have to weigh a number of options before going out to bid for a electricity rate for residents of the village including: Depending on the choices trustees make, alternate energy suppliers will solicit the village with bids for a new rate on electricity for residents and businesses. Sharon Durling, a representative of the Northern Illinois Municipal Electric Cooperative (NIMEC), was on hand to answer questions from residents and trustees on how aggregation would work moving forward. NIMEC works as a matchmaker between …
41.822346
-87.873757
Village of La Grange Park
447 N Catherine Ave, La Grange Park, IL
/articles/village-has-many-options-to-consider-for-electrical-aggregation-in-la-grange-park
272839
/locations/6971920
Tuesday, May 8, 2012
The first of two proposed public hearings on the issue of electrical aggregation will be held tonight at Village Hall in La Grange Park at 6 p.m. Need some information? Read our article on what's at stake.
The first of two public hearings on whether the village should join with other municipalities to purchase electricity as a group on behalf of residents will be held tonight at Village Hall in La Grange Park, 447 N. Catherine Ave. Tonight's meeting will be held in the village's conference room at 6 p.m. and will offer a chance for residents to ask questions and get more information about plans to purchase power on their behalf. In March, 68 percent of voters supported a referendum in favor of electrical aggregation. Trustees have said at past meetings that they hope purchasing electricity as a group will save residents between 20-30 percent off their electrical bills. Background Information The issue was first discussed at a Village Board …
Monday, May 7, 2012
An interactive map and smart phone app will convey information about outages quicker and better than ever, utility officials say.
As if experiencing a power outage is not frustrating enough, the situation intensifies when you cannot get information about it. ComEd Monday, May 7, announced two new ways in which it is using technology to communicate better and quicker with customers. The first is an interactive online outage map and, the second, a mobile application for smart phones. The interactive outage map is a color-coded map that allows customers to find information about: The outage map can be found under the Customer Service tab at comed.com or at comed.com/map. Using the map, customers can report outages and view all outages in the ComEd service territory. Color-coded icons indicate the number of customers affected by each incident. The map allows customers to…
Jim Palermo
3:53 pm on Monday, March 4, 2013
Mary Jane, the Village has yet to pick a provider or even identify the qualified bidders, though this will be done in the next couple of week. Like you, I selected an alternative provider, about a year ago. I await the opportunity to decide whether I will stick with my current alternative provider or switch to the provider La Grange selects. more ›