As winter approaches, many people across the Chicago area will have to start paying more to heat their homes starting in December, but the increase is not as steep as feared.
Jim Chilsen with the Citizens Utility Board said the Illinois Commerce Commission has made a decision regarding Nicor's rate request, telling WBBM, "Nicor Gas was pushing for what would have been the largest gas rate hike in Illinois history, about $314 million. (but) The Illinois Commerce Commission pushed back on several parts of Nicor's proposal and cut their rate hike request by about 47%, so that is a step in the right direction."
Chilsen said Nicor's proposed increase would have driven up home heating bills about $90 a year for the average home, now it will be about half that starting next month, so a few dollars more per month.
"We're appreciative of the ICC's efforts," Chilsen said, "but we realize that far too many people are having a hard time affording their bills and we just need to keep doing more."
Abe Scarr, director of the Illinois Public Interest Research Group, also applauded the fact that the rate increase won't be as steep as it could have been but also said consumers are feeling too much of a pinch saying, "this now the fifth rate increase Nicor has received since 2017."
Scarr added, "If the cost of gas goes up, people are going to be even more pain. And there are certainly indications that the prices may be going up this year and could be going up a lot more in the future."
Nicor delivers natural gas to more than two million customers throughout Northern Illinois - including most of the Chicago suburbs - but not for the City of Chicago, where People's Gas is the provider.