Average Electric Bill in Illinois in 2026 (by Home Size)
Wondering if your electric bill is normal — or why it keeps creeping up? Here's what Illinois homeowners actually pay in 2026, broken down by home size, plus the real reasons bills are climbing. No fluff, no fearmongering.
The short answer: what the average Illinois bill looks like
The typical Illinois household pays somewhere between $110 and $155 a month for electricity. The U.S. Energy Information Administration's most recent finalized figure (2024) puts the average Illinois bill at $109.99/month on about 693 kWh of usage; its more recent monthly snapshots run higher — around $124/month — as 2025–2026 rate hikes flow through.
Here's the good news and the bad news. The good news: Illinois still sits below the national average (the typical U.S. home uses more power — around 860–900 kWh/month — and pays $142–$155). The bad news: that gap is shrinking fast, because Illinois rates are rising quicker than most.
But the "average" hides the number you actually care about — yours. And that comes down mostly to one thing: how big your home is and how it's heated.
Your electric bill by home size
Electricity is billed by the kilowatt-hour (kWh), so your bill scales with how much you use — and usage scales with square footage, occupants, and what's running. Here's roughly where Illinois homes land (these are usage ranges; gas-heated homes trend lower, all-electric homes much higher):
Small home or condo (under ~1,000 sq ft): about 400–700 kWh/month → roughly $95–$115/month all-in.
Medium single-family home (~1,500–2,000 sq ft): about 800–1,200 kWh/month → roughly $165–$200/month.
Large home (~2,500–3,500+ sq ft): about 1,500–2,500+ kWh/month → roughly $250–$300+/month.
Those bill estimates use 2026 all-in rates and already fold in the fixed monthly charges every customer pays (about $19/month on ComEd, $14.50/month on Ameren) plus delivery. They're ballpark — your weather, your habits, and your equipment swing them.
The single biggest factor in your bill isn't your utility — it's whether your home heats with gas or electricity.
About three out of four Illinois homes heat with natural gas, which keeps electric usage relatively low. Flip to electric heat, electric water heating, or an EV, and the picture changes fast — an EV alone can add 300–400 kWh a month, and electric resistance heat can spike winter bills well past the ranges above.
ComEd vs. Ameren: why your rate depends on where you live
Illinois has two main utilities, and they charge different rates because they sit on different regional grids:
ComEd (northern Illinois, including Chicago) — supply "price to compare" of 10.399¢/kWh as of June 1, 2026, with an all-in residential rate around 17¢/kWh.
Ameren Illinois (central and southern Illinois) — summer supply price of 11.326¢/kWh through September 2026, with an all-in rate that averages near 15.5¢/kWh but climbs in summer.
Both utilities pass supply costs straight through with no markup — they earn their profit on delivery, not the energy itself. Want the full breakdown of what each line on your bill means? See why is my ComEd bill so high?
Why your bill keeps climbing in 2026
This isn't your imagination, and it isn't just inflation. According to the Citizens Utility Board, ComEd's summer supply price is about 50% higher than it was two years ago, and Ameren's is roughly 39% higher than summer 2024.
The main culprit is wholesale capacity costs — what utilities pay to guarantee enough power is available on the grid. Those costs are set in regional auctions (ComEd's grid operator is PJM; Ameren's is MISO), and both auctions have spiked to record or near-record highs. The driver regulators keep pointing to: surging electricity demand from data centers, which is straining supply faster than new generation can come online. Grid operators expect these elevated costs to stick around for the next couple of years.
The short version: the rising part of your bill is largely outside your control.
How to estimate your own bill
Want a number closer to reality than any average? Do this:
Find your monthly kWh. It's on your bill, or in your ComEd or Ameren online account (look at a full year to catch summer and winter swings).
Multiply by your all-in rate — roughly 17¢ on ComEd, or ~15.5¢ (higher in summer) on Ameren.
Add the fixed charges — about $19/month on ComEd or $14.50/month on Ameren.
That gets you within striking distance of your actual bill. The one thing it can't predict is where rates go next — and that's the part worth paying attention to.
What rising rates mean if you're weighing solar
Here's the honest, no-spin version. As utility rates rise and swing with capacity costs, more of your bill is exposed to forces you don't control. Generating your own power changes that exposure — that's the factual case for solar, and it's why interest spikes every time rates jump.
What we won't do is hand you a savings number or a payback timeline. Those depend entirely on your roof, your usage, your rate, and your eligibility — and anyone quoting you an exact figure before looking at your home is guessing.
A couple of 2026 facts worth knowing: the 30% federal solar tax credit expired December 31, 2025, so cash and loan buyers no longer get it. But Illinois-specific programs are still in play — SRECs through Illinois Shines, the ComEd and Ameren smart-inverter rebate, net metering, and a property-tax exemption. We keep those current in our Illinois solar incentives guide, and the bigger "is it actually worth it" question gets its own honest treatment in is solar worth it in Illinois?
Want to know what your bill could look like on solar? Check your eligibility for a straight, no-pressure look at what solar would cost for your specific home and which Illinois incentives you'd qualify for. Takes a couple of minutes.
The Day Company is an independent marketing and referral resource, not an installer, utility, or government agency, and is not affiliated with ComEd, Ameren, the Citizens Utility Board, Illinois Shines, or the IRS. Figures are 2026 estimates from public sources, illustrative only — not a quote, guarantee, or promise of savings. Actual bills, rates, and incentives vary by home, utility, usage, weather, and eligibility. Nothing here is tax, legal, or financial advice.
