Commonwealth Edison is offering payments of up to $500 for small business customers struggling to pay their electric bills, following two years of price spikes linked to data center growth and rising energy demand across northern Illinois.
The $2.5 million assistance program opens for grant applications on June 15 on a first-come basis. Business owners will be expected to pay some amount as part of a matching requirement — for example, if a business owes $1,000, it can apply for $500 but must pay the remaining balance to ComEd.
“Our focus last year was residential and we think the appropriate segment to focus on now is small- and medium-sized business,” ComEd CEO Gil Quiniones said in an interview. The program follows a similar initiative for residential customers announced a year ago.
ComEd customers are seeing at least a 12% increase in monthly charges starting in June, largely because of energy demand created by an explosion of AI data centers. Quiniones said there are approximately 100 proposed data center projects in Northern Illinois, though not all are expected to move forward.
ComEd officials have emphasized the utility does not set, control, or profit from the price hikes. Rather, the prices ComEd pays for electricity are driven by anticipated future demand and set by Pennsylvania-based grid operator PJM. The utility says it will continue working with businesses on energy-efficiency practices that can significantly lower power bills.
For residential customers, ComEd launched a low-income discount program last year. The company says it understands higher bills add another financial strain on households and businesses alike, even as the underlying cost drivers remain largely outside the utility’s control.
