While watchdogs called on regulators to slash $137 million, or roughly two-thirds of the Peoples Gas request, the attorney general’s office went further, calling not only for the entire request to be rejected, but for the company to return $4 million to customers.

Over 100 Peoples Gas customers and utility watchdog advocates gathered in the cold in Chicago on Wednesday to protest a $202.3 million requested rate increase. If approved, the rate hike would begin adding $10-11 per month to typical residential bills in 2027.

If the investments proposed are approved in full by the ICC, ComEd expects residential customers to see an increased average cost of between $2.50 to $3 per month starting in 2028.

Peoples Gas is asking the Illinois Commerce Commission to approve a $202 million rate increase, while Nicor Gas is seeking its own rate hike of $221 million.

The Citizens Utility Board is sounding the alarm on data centers’ growing demand on the electrical grid, saying Illinois consumers can expect higher electric bills.

Consumer advocates expressed outrage with the move, calling on state regulators to reject the request, which comes only days after Peoples Gas filed for a $202 million rate hike on Monday.

The increase, which the company estimates will add $10-11 to monthly gas bills for typical residential customers in Chicago if approved by the ICC, comes three years after Peoples Gas received a $303 million rate hike in 2023, the largest in state history.

A new report by state regulators projects energy shortfalls will begin in northern Illinois by 2029 and the rest of the state by 2031 if lawmakers and grid operators don’t act.

A review of the gas market in northern Illinois released by the consumer advocate groups Citizens Utility Board and Illinois PIRG highlighted that rising natural gas prices, in addition to rate hikes from gas utility companies, are creating a “double-whammy” for customers.

Increasing energy prices are causing alarm among some consumer advocates and state policymakers, who worry that the long-term problems underlying the rising costs could lead to even higher prices or rolling blackouts.

Natural gas customers in the Chicago suburbs and downstate Illinois are likely to see an increase in their monthly bills next year, but it's up to state regulators to decide how big a hike, if any, to approve.

The gas utility company’s pipe replacement program had been on hold for over a year so the Illinois Commerce Commission could determine how to move forward with the program, which has been years behind schedule and billions of dollars over budget. Thursday’s decision does not have an immediate effect on customers’ bills, according to state regulators.

Following almost a year of legal battles and fierce public opposition, water utility Aqua Illinois is set to raise its rates in 2025. The privately owned water utility has not released an estimate of the exact impact the increase will have on customer bills in 14 northern Illinois counties.

Staying warm during Chicago’s frigid winters will get more expensive if Peoples Gas is permitted to resume its massive pipe replacement program, according to a report released Tuesday by the Citizens Utility Board, a consumer advocacy group.

Illinois American Water, which serves 1.3 million people, is seeking a $152.4 million rate increase. Aqua Illinois, which serves 273,000 people, is seeking a $19.2 million increase. The requests must be reviewed by the Illinois Commerce Commission before the utilities are allowed to modify their rates.

Environmental and consumer advocates predict more legal protections from the heat in the near future, as climate change continues to wreak havoc.