Ameren Illinois is raising electricity rates in June from $0.0548 per kilowatt hour (kWh) for supply and transmission to $0.0946/kWh. Those rates will last through September. In October rates are due to rise to $0.115/kWh through May of 2023*.
Nicor Gas rates were $0.53 per therm in May 2021, $0.68/therm in April 2022, and rose to $1.11/therm in May 2022.
What can residents do to reduce the burden of rising energy costs?
Ameren customers in Bloomington-Normal can participate in the Town of Normal and City of Bloomington's municipal electric aggregation program. The municipalities both secured an energy supply rate from Constellation Energy of $0.07859 per kWh (with an option for $0.08324/kWh for a renewable energy source option). These rates begin July 1 and end June 2025. Residents can opt out of the contract at any time for no penalty. Residents can opt out or check to make sure they are enrolled by calling Constellation Energy at 833-358-0518. Read the EAC's full explanation of municipal electric aggregation for more details.
Participating in aggregation will save residents money on their electricity costs.
Pursuing solar is another great way to hedge against rising energy costs. Residents that meet the below guidelines can access rooftop solar at no upfront cost, and can get a community solar subscription that will save 50% on their Ameren supply rate for any energy generated by their community solar subscription. Contact the EAC for more information on solar options.
Other simple ways to reduce electricity consumption:
Make sure all lights are LEDs, and turn off lights when you are not in the room
Unplug all small electronics like phones, laptops and tablets when they are done charging (and take the plug out of the outlet too!)
Use a programmable thermostat to make sure your air conditioner is not cooling your home when no one is in it. Set temperatures higher when you away.
Remove humidity from your home with a dehumidifier, kitchen fans, and bathroom fans.
Do not leave ceiling fans on when people are not in the room, fans cool people not spaces.
Close curtains on sunny windows during the day.
Arrange annual service checks for your furnace and air conditioner to make sure they are running optimally.
Change your furnace filter every 3 months at least.
Even though we are not using our furnaces now that it is warm, there are still ways to reduce natural gas consumption too!
To reduce hot water heating costs, set your hot water heater to 120 degrees (typically labeled HOT or with an arrow before A, B, C), don't take lingering showers, get in the shower as soon as the water is warm, wash your clothes in cold water, and only run the dishwasher when it is full.
If the weather is nice - dry your laundry outside!
Using a grill to cook outside will keep temperatures lower in the kitchen and reduce gas use if you have a gas stove.
*These rates are subject to change after a supplemental procurement by the Illinois Power Agency in mid-May, but they will likely remain on the high end.
Graduate students at the Illinois State University Stevenson Center recently partnered with the Ecology Action Center to conduct a survey studying the use of the public recycling drop-boxes in Normal. The purpose of this survey was to gain a better understanding of who is using the drop-boxes. This research was conducted by students Grace Northern, Kiera Eckhardt, Ryan Maranville, Max Seeley, and Randall Dimmette-Schweigert.
There are four publicly available recycling drop-boxes located in Normal that are available to all McLean County residents to use. These drop-boxes are located at Walmart on Veterans Parkway, Jewel-Osco on Cottage Avenue, Chiddix Junior High School, and University Center on Main Street. These drop-boxes have bins available to collect cardboard, mixed paper, glass, aluminum, and metal for recycling.
The survey was conducted in-person at the locations of each drop-box over a two day period between March 19, 2022 and March 20, 2022. The survey had 243 responses. Of 228 usable responses, 87.7% were McLean County residents, with 70.6% residing in Bloomington-Normal. The majority of respondents were over 40 years old, and over 50% of respondents were utilizing the Walmart drop-box location. Respondents were also asked two questions, “How likely are you to recycle if the drop-boxes weren’t available in Bloomington-Normal?” and “Do you have recycling collection at your home?” The results of these questions showed that over half of respondents did not have recycling service at their residence, and that over 40% reported that they would not recycle if they did not have access to the recycling drop-boxes.
Based on these results, we can conclude that the recycling drop-boxes are a needed resource to the residents of McLean County. We can also see that McLean County residents ages 39 and younger would benefit from increased awareness of this service. From in-person interactions with interviewees, several individuals stated that they utilized the recycling drop-boxes despite having curbside recycling pickup at their home, due to their recycling bins at home filling up too quickly between pickups. The Ecology Action Center thanks the Stevenson Center graduate students for their hard work, and looks forward to continuing this data collection process moving forward.
In partnership with the Friends of the Constitution Trail, help us plant sapling trees along Route 66/Constitution Trail to improve air quality, sequester carbon, increase wildlife habitat, provide shade, and more! Volunteers will use shovels and other tools to plant root-ball sapling trees – 6-8′ tall. Volunteers must be 18 years old or older or alternately 12 years or older and accompanied by a parent or legal guardian. Tools and heavy equipment will be in use and all volunteers must be able to safely use hand tools, stay on their feet for 2 hours at a time and lift a moderate weight (~25 pounds). Please dress appropriately for weather conditions and working outside. Closed-toed shoes or boots are required – no sandals or flip-flops.
Shifts are from 8:30am - 10:30am and 10:30am - 12:30pm.
