As electricity costs begin to rise, community groups call on Ameren to help customers
As electric bills begin to rise by an average of $52 or more per month starting in June, local activists have called on Ameren Illinois to do more to help its customers.
A group of about a dozen people gathered Thursday for a rally at the power company’s headquarters in Collinsville to publicly share their concern that community members might struggle to pay their bills during the heat of summer.
Some of the people from the group held signs and marched along Eastport Plaza Drive, past the Gateway Convention Center to Ameren’s building on Executive Drive. “Protect the vulnerable” was among the messages on their signs.
The latest estimate from Ameren is that the typical residential customer will see a $626 annual increase on their bill.
“What are you going to do in your power to make a change?” said Zach Chike, one of the rally speakers from City of Joy Fellowship in East St. Louis. “Because I guarantee you it will be a lot less strain for the corporate office to do something about these increases than it will for the pockets of our people who have been struggling.
“… You know the impact that it’s going to have on our community.”
The company has stressed in messages to customers and in a letter to the editor Ameren Illinois President Richard Mark submitted to the Belleville News-Democrat that it did not set the price and it does not profit from this increase. Separate suppliers purchase the energy Ameren delivers to your home, and the cost of that energy is passed directly to you, according to the company.
Reasons for the increased cost include inflation, the war in Ukraine and the closure of fossil fuel plants, which is happening faster than renewable energy infrastructure can come online.
Activists on Thursday called on Ameren to both educate customers about programs available now that could help them lower their bills and to start offering even more programs amid the rising cost of electric bills.
“I, like most citizens, don’t really care about who’s going to benefit from the rate hike; I care mostly about who it’s going to affect,” said Wyvetta Granger, from New Life Community Church in East St. Louis. “... For most of us, we’re just going to make an adjustment: we’re cutting out a meal. But for others, it’s a matter of health.”
JD Dixon, a community activist through United Congregations of Metro-East and Empire 13, a group he started, as well as Larita Rice-Barnes, from the grassroots activist group Metro East Organizing Coalition, each expressed concern for elderly residents, in particular. They might live on a fixed income, which means they could struggle to afford an increased cost, and cooling their home is important in the summer because they have a higher risk of developing heatstroke.
“We’re calling on Ameren to do the right thing and to step up in our community,” Rice-Barnes said.
Here is a list of actions they would like to see Ameren take:
- Do more to educate consumers about unused state and federal energy bill assistance dollars that are available to them through the Low Income Home Energy Assistance Program. (To find out if you qualify, visit HelpIllinoisFamilies.com or call 1-833-711-0374.)
- Do more to educate consumers about Ameren’s own Peak Time Rewards program, which gives bill credits for reducing energy usage during peak times of demand like summer afternoons. (Send an email to PeakTimeRewards@ameren.com or call Ameren at 888-596-5497 with eligibility questions.)
- Expand its energy efficiency offerings and waive fees for programs that help customers find the best ways to save energy.
- Speed up its approval of solar power projects.
Ameren also offers bill assistance to customers with low or moderate incomes through its Warm Neighbors Cool Friends donations program. To find out more about it, call Ameren’s customer service hotline at 1-800-755-5000.
And eligible customers can make extended payment arrangements with Ameren through July 31 with a down payment.
Ameren Illinois Communications Director Tucker Kennedy said in an interview Thursday that the company has plans to offer a new relief package, too.
That new program will offer bill assistance to customers with moderate incomes that exclude them from the Low Income Home Energy Assistance Program, as well as resources for disabled veterans and active-duty military members, according to Kennedy. He said it will also create funding to help offset the costs of home weatherization and installation of energy efficient cooling systems for customers to bring their bills down by using less energy.
Kennedy could not say when the new program might be available. It will be funded by company shareholders and donations.
Kennedy said Ameren has been trying to inform customers about resources currently available to them through a variety of avenues, including on their bills, in emails and newsletters and on social media.
“We’re making every effort to give our customers the heads up that this is coming and helping them think about what they can do to prepare,” Kennedy said.
Visit AmerenIllinois.com/Updates to read the company’s full message about rising costs and to find links to resources available to customers.
As far as solar projects, local activists pointed to 6,000 megawatts of solar power awaiting approval. Kennedy said in response that the project needs approval from the federal grid operator before Ameren can connect it.
BND reporter Kelsey Landis contributed information to this report.
This story was originally published June 2, 2022 at 3:42 PM.
