ComEd Offers Up to $500 in Grants for Small Businesses Struggling With Electric Bills

Commonwealth Edison is offering payments of up to $500 for small business customers who cannot pay their electric bills, following two years of price spikes tied to data center growth across northern Illinois. The grant applications open June 15 on a first-come basis at www.comed.com/SMBrelief.

The program requires a matching contribution from business owners: if a company owes $1,000, it can apply for a $500 grant but must pay the remaining $500 itself. The grants are part of a $2.5 million assistance program the utility determined was needed as residents and businesses face higher electric bills largely driven by energy demand from massive AI data centers.

The initiative follows a similar residential customer grant program announced a year ago. “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. Quiniones added that the utility will continue working with businesses on energy-efficiency practices, which can significantly lower power bills.

ComEd customers are already seeing at least a 12% increase in monthly charges starting in June, in part because of the demand for energy created by an explosion in AI data centers being built across the region. Quiniones said there are roughly 100 proposed data center projects in northern Illinois, though it is unlikely all will proceed.

ComEd officials have emphasized that the utility does not produce the energy it delivers. Prices ComEd pays for electricity are driven by anticipated future demand and set by Pennsylvania-based electric grid operator PJM. “ComEd does not set, control or profit from” those particular price hikes, the company has said.

For residential customers, ComEd launched a low-income discount program last year, with details available at www.comed.com/LID. While there will not be a similar individual residential grant program this year, Quiniones said residents who cannot pay their bills still have options including the discount program and payment arrangements.