Why Is My Electric Bill So High in Naperville?
Bills are up across northern Illinois — but in Naperville the answer starts with a question most guides skip: whose name is actually on your electric bill? The city runs its own utility, and that changes everything about why you pay what you pay.
By Naperville Guide · Published October 8, 2026
Short version: why is your electric bill so high in Naperville? Wholesale power costs have surged across the region, and both of Naperville's utilities are passing pressure through — just through different line items. Which line items hit you depends on your provider, so let's start there.
First: check whose name is on your bill
Most of Naperville is not served by ComEd. The City of Naperville operates its own municipal electric utility — in business for over 120 years, serving 60,000+ customers — and buys its wholesale power through the Illinois Municipal Electric Agency. Some outlying addresses with Naperville mailing addresses do fall in ComEd territory. Look at the top of your bill before reading another word: the advice below splits in two from here.
If you're on Naperville municipal electric
The city's published 2026 residential rates: a $21.52 monthly customer charge plus 11.968¢ per kWh. At the city's average usage of 844 kWh a month, that's about $122.53 — and the city projects the average bill reaches $129.68 in 2027, still below the average ComEd bill.
Two things are pushing your bill up right now:
- Planned rate increases. The city approved multi-year hikes: residential rates rose 7.1% in 2025 and 5.7% in 2026, with another 5.7% coming in 2027 — roughly $8 more per month on an average bill each year. The monthly customer charge is climbing too, from $19.26 to $23.78 over the same span.
- The Purchased Power Adjustment (PPA). This monthly line item adjusts your bill based on the city's actual wholesale power costs, using a six-month rolling average. When regional power markets spike — and they have — the PPA is how that reaches your bill. It's designed to be revenue-neutral to the utility over time, but in the meantime you feel the market.
The Naperville numbers
2026: $21.52/mo + 11.968¢/kWh → ~$122.53 average bill. 2027 projection: ~$129.68. The city states its rates will stay below ComEd's "for the foreseeable future" — a claim worth checking against your own bill each year.
If you're on ComEd (outlying Naperville addresses)
Your world looks different. ComEd's "price to compare" — the supply rate everything else is measured against — is 10.103¢ per kWh from October 2026 through May 2027 (supply plus transmission). That's about 3% below this summer's price but roughly 53% higher than two years ago, per the Citizens Utility Board. If you're weighing an EV against those rates, here's what a home charger adds to a ComEd bill.
The driver is wholesale capacity costs: the grid operator's auctions for reserve power have exploded from $28.92 per megawatt-day to the $333.44 federal cap, and those costs land in the supply portion of your bill. (We covered the data-center connection in detail in yesterday's piece.) One cushion is shrinking: the Carbon Free Energy Resource credit that offset bills was 1.6¢/kWh in September but dropped to about 0.115¢/kWh in October, and it ends entirely in June 2027.
What you can actually do about it
Verified programs and protections — not generic tips:
- Naperville municipal customers: check the rebate programs. The city offers a $75 smart-thermostat incentive, $700 for efficient central AC, $900–$1,800 for air-source heat pumps, and a $25 AC tune-up. One catch: as of June 2026 the city had awarded 100% of that year's $280,000 incentive budget, so applications are closed for the rest of 2026 — check back in spring 2027. The city also hands out free LED bulbs (four per household) at the Municipal Center, 400 S. Eagle St., weekdays 8–5 — bring your utility bill as proof of residence.
- ComEd customers: claim the thermostat rebate. ComEd offers up to $75 back on an ENERGY STAR smart thermostat (buy, install, and register by December 31, 2026), plus $40–$200 on efficient appliances. A free in-home energy assessment can surface more.
- Check your Supply section — today. Illinoisans have lost over $2.3 billion to alternative electricity suppliers since 2015, per CUB. If a company other than your utility is listed under "Supply," compare its rate to the utility's price — the utility's is usually your best bet right now. Under Illinois law you can leave a bad supplier deal with no exit fee, though switching can take up to two months. And never hand your bill or account number to a doorstep salesperson.
- Cut the big three. Heating, cooling, and water heating dominate most bills. As heating season approaches, our winterizing guide is the practical starting point.
Good to know
Why is my electric bill so high in Naperville?
Regional wholesale power costs have surged — grid capacity auction prices went from $28.92 to the $333.44 federal cap in three years. Naperville municipal customers feel it through the monthly Purchased Power Adjustment plus approved rate hikes (5.7% in 2026); ComEd-territory customers feel it through a supply price 53% higher than two years ago.
Is Naperville served by ComEd or its own electric utility?
Mostly its own: the City of Naperville runs a municipal electric utility serving 60,000+ customers and buys wholesale power through the Illinois Municipal Electric Agency. Some outlying addresses with Naperville mailing addresses are in ComEd territory — check whose name is on your bill.
What is the Purchased Power Adjustment on my Naperville electric bill?
It's a monthly adjustment based on the city's actual wholesale power costs, calculated on a six-month rolling average. When regional power markets spike, the PPA passes that through to your bill; it's designed to be revenue-neutral to the utility over time.
How can I lower my electric bill in Naperville?
Claim your utility's rebates (Naperville's $75 smart-thermostat and up-to-$1,800 heat-pump incentives reopen in spring 2027; ComEd's $75 thermostat rebate runs through December 2026), check your bill's Supply section for costly alternative suppliers, and cut heating/cooling usage — the biggest slice of most bills.
Should I switch to an alternative electricity supplier in Illinois?
Probably not right now. Alternative suppliers have cost Illinois residential customers over $2.3 billion since 2015, per the Citizens Utility Board, and face the same elevated wholesale market as the utilities. Compare any offer against your utility's published supply price first — and remember you can leave a bad deal with no exit fee under Illinois law.
Sources & verification. Details verified October 8, 2026 against the City of Naperville's published electric rates and energy-efficiency program pages (naperville.il.us), Citizens Utility Board consumer alerts and Q&A (citizensutilityboard.org), and ComEd's published rebate materials. Rates and program funding change — confirm current figures with your provider. Naperville Guide is an independent local publication; more about us here.