Electric Shock: Illinois Hit Hard By Rate Hikes
By: Source: AARP.org Date Posted: 2007-04-30 11:30:28.154491-04:00
Across Illinois, people are being hit hard by high electric bills. Among the hardest hit are older adults on fixed incomes.
The reason?
When a 10-year freeze on electric rates expired in January 2007, utility companies artificially inflated rates. This situation forced many Illinois residents to compromise their personal and financial health in order to pay their electric bills. AARP members have reported increases in their bills of nearly 300 percent.
"Our members want, need and demand immediate action," said Nancy Funk, a member of the AARP Illinois advocacy team.
Dottie Corcoran of Mount Olive has seen her electricity bill rise from about $176 per month in 2006 to $484.
"I'll have to pay it because I can't afford to have it turned off," said Corcoran, who wasn't impressed by Ameren's offer to defer payment until 2010, plus interest.
Electric companies are telling customers to manage their higher electric bills by turning down the heat and turning off their lights, under the guise that this will make their bills more affordable. For older residents of Illinois, adequate heating and cooling aren't just matters of comfort, they're matters of health and safety. Many older adults living on fixed incomes pay their electric bills and skimp on other necessities to get by.
AARP is supporting two bills, House Bill 1750 and Senate Bill 1592, that would effectively roll-back the electric rates to the 2006 figures while a more effective long-term solution is arranged.
Take action now.
Call AARP's Advocacy Hot Line at 1-800-719-3020 to urge your legislators to roll-back the electric rates.
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