Patch on Politics

ComEd Wants You to Pay More for Electricity You Used Last Year

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…

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Tom S

9:42 pm on Sunday, February 17, 2013

Under the Smart Grid law passed in 2011, ComEd committed to spend $2.6 billion over 10 years to modernize the electric grid in Northern Illinois. The ICC's interpretation of the law reduced funding to complete the modernization program. As a result, ComEd faced a reduction in funding of nearly $100 million per year in 2014 and beyond. Without the additional funding, ComEd stated it could not …   more ›

Woodridge ComEd Upgrades to Conclude by Late June

Work planned for Westview and Everglade will start this month.

ComEd will start an electric infrastructure upgrade project in the Westview Lane and Everglade Avenue area this month. The project is designed to improve the performance the electric system and enhance the reliability of service, according to a village of Woodridge release. The work is scheduled to begin in May and conclude by late June. "Upgrades will include the replacement of existing poles and installation of new cable that is specifically designed for areas with a high density of tall trees in close proximity to overhead power lines," according to the village. "This improvement, coupled with ComEd's regular tree trimming, will improve the overall performance of the circuit during storms. Overall, the grid modernization investments …

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ComEd to Set Up Outage Command Centers in the Suburbs

The centers can be set up within hours to help areas without power for three hours or more.

ComEd Electric Grid Modernization Coming to Woodridge

The project will enhance reliability, according to a ComEd press release.

ComEd electric grid modernization has begun in Woodridge, according to a ComEd press release.  The work is part of the utility's effort "to provide better reliability for area customers, prepare its system for new demands of the 21st century economy and provide newways for consumers to save on their energy bills." The work is part of the historic Illinois Energy Infrastructure Modernization Act, which was enacted in October. “The grid modernization law is a value promise made to Illinois consumers,” said Anne Pramaggiore, president and CEO of ComEd in the release. “Our entire organization is now focused on thecritical construction programs that will deliver greater value to our customers through improvedreliability and customer service.” …

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Power Out? Text ComEd

Message service will provide outage info via text.

ComEd is offering a free service where you can text ComEd to alert them of outages and receive messages back detailing how long it will take to restore power. For more information, check out this link.

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ComEd Upgrade Aims to Improve Woodridge Service

ComEd recently completed a cable replacement project in Woodridge to prevent outages.

Woodridge customers could see fewer and shorter outages following a ComEd cable replacement program. ComEd announced Thursday the company has replaced about 2,800 feet of underground cable. Projects in Woodridge, Glen Ellyn and Wheaton are completed and work is underway in Joliet and Lombard.  Under a new law enacted in October, ComEd will continue work throughout northern Illinois in January. About $1.3 billion will be invested on ComEd's aging infrastructure, replacing cable and poles and upgrading equipment.  Another $1.3 billion will be used digitize ComEd's electric system and incorporating smart grad technologies, including installing a smart meter in every home.  "The investments will help ComEd significantly reduce outages and help…

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Barry Allen

8:09 pm on Tuesday, January 3, 2012

Robert, Interesting and entertaining links. It would be useful to know some of your background on the subject. In March you were commenting on smart meters in a Patch in Massechusetts. By August you were making pretty much the same comments in various Patches in California. Now you're here. I'm just guessing that you're not local, not an engineer, and fighting smart meters is your "tilting at …   more ›

ComEd Customers Used All-Time Power High During Heat Wave

Between high temperatures and intense storms, the last few weeks have been busy for utility

Woodridge area residents had a rough time trying to cool down during last week's heat wave. So just how hot was it?  "Customers were using an all-time high of power," said ComEd spokeswoman Arlana Johnson. "It is the most power used at one time since August 2006." According to a ComEd news release, customer demand reached an a peak usage milestone late Wednesday afternoon. However, according to Johnson, this intense usage has yet to negatively affect the ComEd power grid. “Our system is performing really well and we didn't experience any issues," Johnson said. "We put extra crews on notice in case there were any problems. We had 350 crews available, which is 100 more than on a typical summer day." According to Johnson, a far bigger issue …

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Power Back at Edgewood and Sipley Schools

Summer school has been canceled at John L. Sipley Elementary School because of power outages.

Updated: July 28, 2:45 p.m.  Power is back at John L. Sipley Elementary School and Edgewood Elementary Schools. lost power following Wednesday night's and Thursday morning's storms, according to the district website.  Summer school at Sipley was canceled because of power outages.  Power came back on at Sipley around 11:30 a.m. and at Edgewood around 1 p.m.  As of 2:45 p.m., there are 501 to 3,000 ComEd customers without power, according to the company's outage map. 

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UPDATE: Power's Back On at Animal Shelter

West Suburban Humane Society lost electricity when a transformer blew after Monday's storm. Power was not expected to return until midnight Friday.

Update: Friday, 11:15 a.m.  The power came back on Thursday at the West Suburban Humane Society in Downers Grove.  --- Tuesday, 4 p.m.  About 4,300 ComEd customers in Downers Grove are without power following Monday morning's severe storm.  Some of the thousands affected are the dozens of cats and dogs at the West Suburban Humane Society, located at 1901 Ogden Ave. Power isn't expected to return to the animal shelter until midnight Friday, said Director Carolyn Mossberger.  Until then, volunteers have stepped in, taking in animals, donating fans and staying at the shelter overnight to keep animals cool.  "One of our employees was working from home, and she posted on our Facebook page that the transformer blew and we had a power outage," …

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When in Doubt, Throw it Out: Food Safety During a Power Outage

The DuPage County Health Department offers some tips for keeping food safe during a lengthy power outage.

As of 10 p.m. Tuesday, ComEd reported roughly 266,000 customers were still, without power. More than 10,000 of those homes and businesses were in the Bolingbrook region, which includes Woodridge.  And the more than 10,000 refrigerators in those homes are slowly heating up.  The DuPage County Health Department offers some food safety tips for dealing with outages that last longer than two hours:

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