After the American Revolution, American settlers from Kentucky began to populate Illinois via the Ohio River. In 1818, Illinois became an official state, and by the World War II it had established itself as an important center for manufacturing.

With the invention of the steel plow, Illinois attracted immigrant farmers from as far as Germany and Sweden. Railroads were established, helping to move produce and product out to different markets. The construction of the Erie Canal, completed in 1825, helped to increase the number of people traveling and trading via the great lakes. It is because of this that the city of Chicago was founded in the 1830’s, on one of the only natural harbors to be developed on the southern part of Lake Michigan.

Three American presidents have been elected while living in Illinois including, Barak Obama, Ulysses S. Grant and Abraham Lincoln. The Abraham Lincoln Presidential Library and Museum is located in the state capital, Springfield. It is a major attraction, drawing tourists from all over the world.

Today, Illinois is the 5th most populated and the 25th largest state in the United States.

Illinois Electricity Providers

The Illinois Commerce Commission approved energy deregulation in 1997. Up until that point, utilities controlled all elements of electricity, from maintenance, to delivery to supply. Energy deregulation opened up the market to competition, allowing customers to purchase the supply of electricity from companies outside of their utility. A consumer can switch to a different energy supplier at any time, without any disruption in service.

Established electricity suppliers must offer rates, pricing, plans and technologies that are highly appealing and affordable in order to keep their customers satisfied. In addition, they must also abide by regulations and laws in order to appear as an associated supplier under local utilities.

There are many energy suppliers available to choose from in the state of Illinois. Some energy suppliers include,

  • ConEdison Solutions
  • Xoom
  • Constellation
  • Spark Energy
  • Realgy Energy Services
  • Green Mountain Energy
  • AEP Energy
  • Sperian Energy
  • Oasis Energy
  • Direct Energy
  • Tara Energy
  • NRG Home
  • Star Energy Partners
  • Clearview Energy
  • Ethical Electric
  • Ambit Energy
  • Public Power
  • Palm CO
  • Viridian

It is important to check with your local utility to determine which energy suppliers offer services in the area. Using a utility approved electricity supplier ensures that customers receive fair rates and contracts and decreases the likelihood of scams.

Residential Electricity

Illinois has cool summers, which helps to keep the average amount of energy consumed in households lower in comparison to other states in the country. Homes within the state consume 129 million Btu of energy per home, per year. This means 44% more energy is used in Illinois households per year compared to the national average. This high consumption rate comes with fairly low costs, however the state pays 2% more for energy in their homes than the average of the rest of the United States.

Illinois sees cooler weather in the summer than other areas of the United States, which means that a lot of the energy consumed in homes is for heating. Air conditioning makes up a very small percentage of the energy used.

  • Space Heating: 51%
  • Appliances, Electronics, Lighting: 31%
  • Water Heating: 16%
  • Air Conditioning: 2%

The majority of homes in Illinois use natural gas for heating, while only around 10% use electricity. When it comes to air conditioning, most homes do have a central air conditioning unit, but again, this equipment only consumes 2% of the total amount of energy consumed by households within the state.

Almost 70% of homes in Illinois are single-family units, and the remaining 30% or so are apartments. There are not many (if any) mobile home households. The average square footage for a home is 2,186.

A little over 20% of households own 2 television, which is slightly below the national average, while slightly under 20% of households have 5 televisions, which is much higher than the national average.

Business Electricity

Manufacturing is a huge industry for Illinois. With many plants, factories and other large buildings the state supports, chemical manufacturing, food manufacturing, machinery manufacturing and more. Due to this fact, the industrial sector consumes a significant amount of energy per year in order to keep operations running smoothly. The other two major energy sectors in the state include Transportation and Commercial.

  • The Industrial sector consumes 30.3% of the total state’s energy.
  • Transportation consumes 23.9% of the total state’s energy.
  • The Commercial sector uses 20.3% of the state’s energy.

New Initiatives

The Illinois Clean Jobs Coalition is an organization that is made up of businesses concerned with the state of the environment. They work hard to improve the way energy is used and to create new jobs that use and rely on cleaner energy. They have come up with the Illinois Clean Jobs Bill, which proposes several changes and improvements including,

Increased Energy Efficiency: 20% reduction in energy demand by 2025.
Increased Use of Renewables: Raise the Renewable Portfolio Standard to 35% by the end of 2030.
Reduce Pollution and Increase Jobs: Provide tools for consumers and businesses to reduce their carbon footprint and increase employment rates.

Overall, this bill will ensure that the state increases their consumption of energy through renewable sources by 35%, while reducing total energy consumption by 25%. As a result, the state of Illinois is estimated to see $1.6 billion in savings.

Illinois Biggest Deregulated Cities

There are many cities within the state of Illinois that provide energy deregulated services. Some of these cities include,

Chicago
Springfield
Rockford
Aurora
Joliet
Naperville
Peoria
Elgin
Waukegan

Fast Facts about Illinois’ Energy Market

Aside from its thriving manufacturing industry, Illinois has an energy market that generates a significant income for the state. There are quite a few interesting facts about the Illinois energy market including,

  • The state produces 1.5 billion gallons of ethanol per year.
  • In 2013, Illinois ranked at number one (in the country) for nuclear power generating capacity and net electricity generation from nuclear power.
  • There are 11 natural gas storage fields within the state that can store up to 1 trillion cubic feet of gas.
  • Recoverable coal reserves in Illinois are the second largest in the United States. They make up one-eighth of the country’s total recoverable reserves.

Illinois Top Utilities

There are three major Utilities that deliver electricity in Illinois. These utilities include:

ComEd – 1 800-334-7661
Ameren Illinois – 1 800-755-5000
MidAmerican – 1 888-427-5632

Utilities are still an important entity when it comes to energy because, in addition to delivery, they are also responsible for the maintenance of poles and wires within their areas of service. If a pole or wire is damaged due to weather or other incidents, the local utility is required to provide assistance.