Geneva's scheduled electric rate hike starts Nov. 15

A scheduled increase in Geneva's electric rates will go into effect Nov. 15, officials announced in a news release.

The Geneva City Council approved the new rate plan on Aug. 7 to pay for the electric utility's fixed costs, along with capital projects to benefit residential, commercial and industrial customers, according to the release.

There will be three rate increases spread out over five years, the first being this fall, followed by increases in 2025 and 2027.

Beginning in November, the average residential customer in Geneva will see a 3.5% increase on the electric portion of their utility bill. The fixed monthly charge will be adjusted from $6.75 to $8.

In addition, the city has adopted one energy rate – the new rate is $0.11210 per kilowatt hour – regardless of the volume of energy consumed. Taken together, the average residential electric bill will rise from $88.85 to $92.08 per month, according to the release.

A kilowatt hour, kWh, is a unit of energy equal to one kilowatt of power sustained for one hour and is commonly used as a billing unit by utilities. A kilowatt, kW, is a measure of the rate of electricity used.

Geneva's last electric rate plan was implemented in 2012, and the city deferred increases due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

A full rate breakdown is available on the city's website at geneva.il.us. More information about rates and capital projects is available by calling Geneva Public Works Department Electric Division at (630) 232-1503.

Utility bill questions can be directed to the City's Finance Department by calling (630) 232-0854.