Utilities

The Ecology Action Center in Normal urges Bloomington-Normal residents to stay in the municipal electric aggregation program even with hefty rate increases coming this summer.

There’s a lot of questioning and online pushback happening in Bloomington-Normal right now concerning the arcane subject of municipal electricity aggregation.

The City of Bloomington is working to address a utility billing issue that resulted in some customers paying more than they should have.

About $378 million of Low Income Home Energy Assistance Program funding remains to be distributed. Without federal staff, some experts and advocates worry that low-income customers won’t be able to pay for cooling as the months get hotter.

Researchers say if state officials don’t curb utility spending, “Illinois is on course to maintain its entire gas system indefinitely.”

Final decision on rate increases expected before the end of the year

More than one million Illinois households are eligible for energy assistance. That money is down a third to $280 million dollars this year from its peak in 2022.

A recent study that tied the use of gas stoves in homes to rates of childhood asthma — especially in Illinois — inadvertently brought gas stoves to the forefront of the culture wars.

Energy will cost about $89 a megawatt hour starting this June, up from $29 per megawatt hour last year.

A nine-year oversight means the City of Bloomington owes money to the Town of Normal.Normal City Manager Pam Reece said Wednesday the issue is about money…