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Why Peoria Electric Bills Keep Rising (2026): Ameren Delivery, a 13.29¢ City Supply Deal, and the October 1 Reset
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Why Peoria Electric Bills Keep Rising (2026): Ameren Delivery, a 13.29¢ City Supply Deal, and the October 1 Reset

Ryan Cook••

Peoria electric bills keep rising for three reasons you can find on the bill itself. Ameren Illinois' delivery charges step up every January under a state-approved plan (7.811¢ per kWh this summer, 8.009¢ already scheduled for 2027). Summer supply has cost 11¢ to 12¢ per kWh two years running because of regional capacity prices. And unless you opted out, your supply comes through the City of Peoria's aggregation deal at 13.29¢ per kWh through June 30, 2027, which is 1.96¢ above Ameren's own 11.326¢ price in effect through September 30, 2026.

I sit at a lot of kitchen tables between Peoria, Pekin and Washington, and the question is always some version of "what am I actually paying, and who decided that?" The searches hitting my site say the same thing. People type in "peoria electric rates" and "why are peoria bills rising despite utility profits." Both questions have answers in public documents. Here they are, with the documents listed at the bottom.

Key facts for a Peoria-area electric bill

Line Figure In effect
Ameren Illinois supply (Price to Compare) 11.326¢/kWh, first 800 kWh June 1 – Sept 30, 2026
Peoria aggregation supply (Homefield Energy) 13.29¢/kWh Through June 30, 2027
Same deal also covers Peoria County, Peoria Heights, West Peoria, Bartonville, Chillicothe, Creve Coeur, Morton, North Pekin, Washington Through June 30, 2027
Pekin aggregation supply 12.91¢/kWh Through May 31, 2027
Dunlap aggregation supply 12.76¢/kWh Through Aug 31, 2027
Ameren distribution delivery, summer 7.811¢/kWh June – Sept 2026 billing periods
Ameren distribution delivery, non-summer 4.572¢/kWh first 800 kWh, 2.427¢ above Oct 2026 – May 2027 billing periods
Fixed customer + meter charges About $14.51/month 2026
Delivery, already approved for 2027 8.009¢ summer, 4.687¢ non-summer January 2027 bills
Ameren non-summer energy charge (before transmission and adjustments) 7.074¢/kWh first 800 kWh, 5.194¢ above on the June annual sheet; 7.310¢ / 5.131¢ on the October 2026 monthly sheet October 2026 – May 2027
MISO summer capacity price (Ameren's zone) $424.30 per MW-day (was $666.50 in 2025-26 and $30.00 in 2024-25) June – Aug 2026

Anything I call an "all-in" rate or a bill total below is my estimate for a typical home. The rows above are published figures.

Reason one: delivery only goes one direction, and it's where Ameren makes its money

Peoria was Central Illinois Light Company territory until CILCO merged into Ameren Illinois on October 1, 2010. That's why your bill still says "Rate Zone II" at the top. The label doesn't change your price today. What matters is the delivery schedule every Ameren residential customer shares.

In December 2024 the Illinois Commerce Commission approved Ameren's multi-year grid plan, an increase the ICC rounded to $309 million spread through 2027. A year later, in a reconciliation case (Docket 25-0382), it struck $11.2 million from Ameren's $59.6 million request, which leaves about $48.4 million approved. A third request is pending now: the Citizens Utility Board puts it at about $65.3 million (Docket 26-0214), with a ruling expected in December 2026.

Here's the part that answers the "despite utility profits" question. Ameren doesn't profit on the electricity itself. The ICC's consumer site describes utility supply as charged "without any mark-up or profit." The profit is in delivery, where the company earns a regulated return on every substation and mile of wire it builds. So bills and profits aren't moving in opposite directions. They're moving together, for the same reason.

Ameren's own numbers say so. In its July 30, 2026 earnings release, Ameren Illinois Electric Distribution reported second-quarter earnings of $70 million, up from $64 million a year earlier, and explained it in one sentence: "The year-over-year increase reflected earnings on increased infrastructure investments." Ameren Transmission went from $86 million to $96 million with the same explanation. The parent company earned $314 million for the quarter, up from $275 million.

I don't think that's a scandal. Central Illinois has 50-year-old poles and they do need replacing. But it means nobody should expect the delivery half of a Peoria bill to come back down. The 2027 column in the tariff is already approved: 8.009¢ in summer, 4.687¢ in non-summer months, and about $1.48 a month more in fixed charges. I broke down every line of the Ameren bill here if you want to find these on your own statement.

Reason two: supply got expensive when the grid got tight

The supply half is set by state-run auctions and a regional capacity market run by MISO, the grid operator for downstate Illinois. Capacity is what everyone pays to keep enough power plants on standby for the hottest afternoon of the year.

Two summers ago that cost was small. MISO's summer capacity price for 2024-25 cleared at $30 per megawatt-day. For 2025-26 it cleared at $666.50. Ameren's summer supply price jumped from 8.277¢ to 12.180¢ that June, and Peoria felt it on July bills. This summer's price cleared at $424.30 in MISO's April 2026 auction, the same figure Ameren's September 2026 rate sheet lists as its capacity cost, and the supply price eased to 11.326¢. Better. Still nowhere near the old level.

Data centers are a real piece of this. The state's 2025 Resource Adequacy Study, issued jointly by the Illinois Power Agency, the ICC and the Illinois EPA in December 2025, says "data centers are the primary driver of load growth in the latest forecasts from utilities and the RTOs." On the downstate grid specifically: "MISO remains resource adequate through 2030, but a shortfall is projected to emerge in 2031 and grow thereafter."

Notice what that means for Peoria. A data center doesn't have to be built in Peoria County to reach your bill. Capacity is priced across the whole zone, so a server farm near St. Louis or in Indiana tightens the same market you buy from. I wrote more about how data centers feed into Illinois bills and about why Ameren supply keeps climbing through MISO.

Reason three: the one most Peoria households don't know about

This is the local one. Pull out your bill and look at the supply section. If it says Homefield Energy, you're in the City of Peoria's municipal aggregation program. The City negotiated a supply price on behalf of residents, and you were enrolled automatically unless you mailed back the opt-out card.

The ICC's aggregation list, which I pulled again on September 21, 2026, shows that price at 13.29¢ per kWh through June 30, 2027. Ameren's price to compare is 11.326¢. On a 1,000 kWh summer month that's an estimated $20 more for the same electricity through the same wires. Peoria County, Peoria Heights, West Peoria, Bartonville, Chillicothe, Creve Coeur, Morton, North Pekin and Washington are all on the same number. Pekin is at 12.91¢ with a different supplier. East Peoria's listed term ended May 31, 2026, so I can't tell you its current rate from the state list.

Nobody at city hall did anything foolish. The state list doesn't show when the deal was signed, but a 13.29¢ price reads very differently next to the 12.180¢ Ameren charged in summer 2025 than it does next to today's 11.326¢. Ameren's price moved down and the town's didn't. I covered the statewide picture in the Homefield vs. Ameren comparison: when I counted the state list on September 15, 2026, 245 of 260 priced town deals in Ameren territory cost more than the utility.

What changes October 1

Ameren's 11.326¢ summer price expires September 30. The Illinois Commerce Commission had not posted the October price to compare as of September 21, 2026.

One piece of it is already public, though. Ameren's annual supply sheet, effective June 2026 through May 2027, lists the non-summer residential energy charge at 7.074¢ per kWh on the first 800 kWh and 5.194¢ above that, down from 8.200¢ in summer. The price to compare adds transmission (2.765¢ as of June 2026) and two small adjustments on top. If those stay where they are, my arithmetic puts the October price to compare near 10.2¢. Update, September 23: Ameren's October monthly rate sheet lists the non-summer energy charge at 7.310¢ on the first 800 kWh and 5.131¢ above, which moves that estimate to about 10.4¢. Either way it's an estimate, not a posted rate, and transmission can change. It would also be a smaller drop than last October, when the price fell to 8.402¢.

For a Peoria household in the aggregation deal, the math gets worse, not better. The town price stays at 13.29¢ all winter. Against an Ameren price in the 10.2¢ to 10.4¢ range, the gap grows from about 2¢ to an estimated 3¢ per kWh, or roughly $23 to $25 on an 800 kWh month. I'll update the October rate post the week the official number lands. Delivery also switches to the lower non-summer schedule with October billing periods, which is the main reason fall bills shrink.

Updated September 30, 2026: the official figure is now posted. From October 1, 2026 through May 31, 2027, Ameren Illinois' Price to Compare is 10.441¢/kWh on the first 800 kWh and 8.262¢ above 800, per the Illinois Commerce Commission's Plug In Illinois page.

What a Peoria homeowner can actually do

Three things, in order of effort.

Check the supply line tonight. If it says Homefield Energy at 13.29¢ and Ameren's posted price is lower, you can return to Ameren supply. Illinois law (220 ILCS 5/16-119) gives residential customers the right to leave a supplier without termination fees. The ICC says the effective date "depends on your next meter read date," so allow one or two billing cycles. The ICC also notes that after returning to utility supply "you might have to stay on the utility's electric supply service for 12 months" before picking another supplier. The steps and phone numbers are in my alternative supplier post. Re-check every June and October, because the comparison flips when the utility price moves.

Look at the delivery line, not just supply. In summer you pay 7.811¢ to deliver each kilowatt-hour on top of whatever the supply costs. Every kWh you don't pull from the grid avoids both. That's why usage matters more in July than any supplier choice does.

Price out making your own. I'll be plain about my angle: I sell solar in Ameren territory. With a $0-down lease, the power your panels make comes at a predictable rate as low as $0.10/kWh, with the full 25-year rate schedule set in your contract before you sign, and a battery included. Solar you use in the house never crosses the meter, so it skips the supply charge and the distribution delivery charge. You still pay Ameren's fixed charges and for what you import at night. Whether it beats your current bill depends on your roof and your usage, and every savings figure is an estimate until we've looked at a real bill. The Peoria electricity rates page has the local numbers, and the savings calculator runs an estimate for your address.

Want a second set of eyes on your bill? Call (618) 217-2001 or reach out here. Bring the statement. I'll show you which of these three reasons is costing you the most.

Sources

Frequently Asked Questions

Peoria is served by Ameren Illinois, and through September 30, 2026 Ameren's supply price is 11.326¢ per kWh on the first 800 kWh each month, according to the Illinois Commerce Commission's Price to Compare page. Delivery adds 7.811¢ per kWh in summer billing months and 4.572¢ on the first 800 kWh from October through May, plus about $14.51 a month in fixed customer and meter charges. Peoria has one extra wrinkle. The City's electric aggregation program buys supply from Homefield Energy at 13.29¢ per kWh through June 30, 2027, per the ICC's municipal aggregation list, so a household that never opted out pays that figure on its supply lines instead of Ameren's. With riders and taxes included, a 1,000 kWh summer month works out to an estimated 22¢ to 24¢ per kWh all-in, and noticeably less in winter. The all-in figures are estimates; the component rates are published.
Because the part of the bill that keeps growing is the same part Ameren earns its profit on. Ameren passes electricity supply through at cost; the Illinois Commerce Commission describes it as charged without any mark-up or profit. The company's earnings come from the regulated return on poles, wires, substations and transmission lines, so each round of approved grid spending raises delivery rates and earnings together. Ameren's July 30, 2026 results show it. Ameren Illinois Electric Distribution earned $70 million in the second quarter, up from $64 million a year earlier, and the release says the increase reflected earnings on increased infrastructure investments. Ameren Transmission rose from $86 million to $96 million. On a Peoria bill that shows up as a distribution charge of 7.811¢ per kWh this summer, already scheduled for 8.009¢ in 2027, along with roughly $1.48 a month more in fixed charges starting with January 2027 bills.
They already influence the supply price, even with no large data center inside Peoria city limits. Peoria's power is bought through MISO, the regional grid covering downstate Illinois, and every customer in the zone shares the cost of keeping enough power plants on call. The state's 2025 Resource Adequacy Study, issued December 15, 2025 by the Illinois Power Agency, Commerce Commission and EPA, says data centers are the primary driver of load growth in the latest utility and grid-operator forecasts. It also says MISO remains resource adequate through 2030, but a shortfall is projected to emerge in 2031 and grow thereafter. That tightening is what sent MISO's summer capacity price from $30 per megawatt-day to $666.50 for 2025-26. Ameren's September 2026 rate sheet lists this summer's capacity cost at $424.30, lower than last year and still about fourteen times the 2024-25 level. Capacity is a supply cost, so it reaches Peoria bills either way.
Not as of September 2026. The Illinois Commerce Commission's municipal aggregation list shows Peoria, Peoria County, Peoria Heights, West Peoria, Bartonville, Chillicothe, Creve Coeur, Morton, North Pekin and Washington all supplied by Homefield Energy at 13.29¢ per kWh through June 30, 2027. Ameren's own price to compare is 11.326¢ per kWh through September 30, 2026, so the town deal costs 1.96¢ more per kWh, an estimated $20 on a 1,000 kWh month. Pekin's program uses a different supplier at 12.91¢ through May 31, 2027, and Dunlap's is 12.76¢ through August 31, 2027. East Peoria's listed term ended May 31, 2026, so its posted price is stale; call city hall for the current one. The gap will likely widen on October 1, when Ameren's supply price resets for the non-summer months. Illinois law lets residential customers return to the utility without a termination fee, and the change takes effect at your next meter read, so allow one or two billing cycles.

Related City Guides

Peoria, ILEast Peoria, ILPekin, ILMorton, ILWashington, ILPeoria Heights, ILWest Peoria, ILBartonville, ILChillicothe, ILDunlap, ILCreve Coeur, IL

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What changed June 1, what reset October 1, the ICC delivery increases that didn't reset, and your all-in cost per kWh.Illinois Electricity Rates Have Nearly Doubled Since 2021 — Here's What That Means for Your BillIllinois electricity rates have surged 90%+ since 2021. Here's what's driving the increases, what to expect next, and how to protect your household.Illinois Solar Incentives 2026: 7 Programs Worth $12,000-$18,000+Illinois solar incentives 2026: Illinois Shines RECs, the new $20/REC customer-owned adder, $300/kW DG rebate, battery rebate, net metering, and property tax exemption — worth $12,000-$18,000+ on an owned system. Plus no-cost Solar for All for income-eligible households.Solar Battery Backup in Illinois — What It Actually Powers and Whether It's Worth ItWhat does a solar battery actually run during an outage? How much does it cost with the $300/kWh rebate? Here's the honest breakdown for Illinois homeowners.
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