Compare electricity prices in Rockford

Rockford, the third-largest city in Illinois, is instituting a utility 5 percent charge to local electricity and gas bills that is designed to close a city budget hole. It will for sure add $6 to $8 a month to the average gas and electricity bills.

And while you can’t fight city hall, you can fight paying extra for energy. Deregulation has helped to keep the average Rockford electricity prices about 20 percent lower than the national average, and it can help this time as well. As of April 16, 2018, before the city increases kicked in, energy prices in Rockford ranged from 6.09 to 11.99 cents per kilowatt-hour. Depending on the supplier, natural gas rates ranged from 30.9 to 47.50 cents per therm.

The point is, it may be time to lock in lower electricity supply rates to make up for the added charge.

Illinois began the process of energy deregulation in 1997, although competition remained minimal until relatively recently. Companies are now fighting to win over new customers with the lowest possible prices. Competition between energy providers in Rockford has intensified ever since local communities began negotiating aggregation deals, where they’d get a bulk energy supply for the whole area. Machesney Park was one of the first neighborhoods to negotiate such a deal. Other areas soon followed, and this has resulted in a general downward trend in energy prices in Rockford. Consumers now have a range of options when choosing their energy provider.

Energy deregulation in Rockford has made competition possible, without requiring any changes to the underlying energy infrastructure. Deregulation separates the utility companies, which produce the energy and distribute it, from the energy providers that handle sales and billing. In practice, it means that consumers can choose the company that offers them the best deal, but there’s no change required to their physical energy supply.

Commonwealth Edison is the wires company in Rockford, and it provides power to most of the state. A wide selection of Rockford energy providers are available to choose from, and Choose Energy works with some of the best.

Green energy is of vital importance to the energy needs of Illinois, with up to 4.4 percent of the state’s power being generated by wind. It is now possible to fully power a home or small business with renewable energy in Rockford due to the increasing presence of power companies with a commitment to renewable sources.