ComEd Visits Communities to Connect Thousands of Customers to Bill Support

In 2025, ComEd provided direct energy bill support to thousands of customers attending one of the energy company’s nine Community Resource Fairs throughout northern Illinois.

The award-winning fair concept, launched in 2023, was developed in response to a ComEd-commissioned study examining longstanding inequities in northern Illinois communities. The study aimed to identify the challenges these communities face and find opportunities to support families and businesses in overcoming them.

The study included interviews with more than two dozen community stakeholders who suggested the best way to serve income-eligible customers was to bring multiple support services to one location.

“Our goal is to make it easier for customers to access ComEd bill-support services, along with other support options, in a single visit,” said Ajit Apte, senior vice president of customer operations at ComEd. “This helps families who are strapped for both time and money and furthers our commitment to working with local communities to identify the services that will have the most positive impact. In the past three years alone, the resource fairs have helped over 10,000 families connect to services they need.”

This year, ComEd helped connect over 2,600 families in underserved areas to more than 1,700 separate support services, such as energy management and bill-assistance programs. ComEd partnered with local organizations at each location across northern Illinois, including Waukegan, Rockford, Chicago, and Kankakee. At two of this year’s fairs, ComEd announced the availability of its one-time Customer Relief Fund, a $10 million grant program developed with the support of ComEd’s parent company, Exelon, that provided bill relief to more than 30,000 customers.

At each fair, ComEd works with various organizations to offer residents help with bills, finances, health and employment. By engaging communities and providing key resources, ComEd ensures additional services – like governmental support programs, health screenings, adult and child services and food baskets – are offered to entire communities.

Last year, the Smart Energy Consumer Collaborative (SECC), a national energy-industry consumer-advocacy organization, recognized ComEd’s Community Resource Fair program with a 2024 Best Practices Award. ComEd was one of only six electric utilities in the U.S. and Canada recognized by the SECC.

Until the next Community Resource Fair season kicks off in 2026, ComEd representatives will appear at community events across their service area this winter. They aim to help customers learn about support available for current bill costs, as well as programs that can help manage energy use and lower future bills. For more details, visit ComEd.com/Events.

If you are in immediate need of bill-assistance and energy-management options, visit ComEd.com/EnergySavings today. On Jan. 1, 2026, these support options will be enhanced by ComEd’s new Low-Income Discount (LID) program, which provides percentage-based discounts to monthly bills of income-eligible customers.