ComEd says Chicago’s exit wouldn’t hurt remaining ratepayers

Updated: July 29, 2012 5:05PM

Commonwealth Edison officials said Wednesday that half of its residential customers, or 1.5 million households, will have opted to obtain electricity from alternate electricity providers by year’s end, and that percentage could rise to 70 percent if Chicagoans vote to buy power elsewhere.

The customers have left either by choosing their own new electricity provider or because they live in municipalities where voters chose to enable elected officials to negotiate a new contract with another provider.

ComEd officials insisted that ComEd’s existing customers and those who remain after Chicago’s referendum won’t see a rate increase — in fact, they will see a rate decline in the near term because ComEd’s higher-priced electric contracts expire and the utility will take advantage of today’s lower rates.

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