Every home and business has its own way of using energy, so one size doesn’t fit all, especially when it comes to designing programs that will reduce usage and increase savings.
On the other hand, when a power company has over 4 million customer accounts, designing individual plans isn’t really an option. So ComEd did the next best thing: It put its customers into groups based on a shared set of challenges and opportunities. Then it built programs that matched those customer profiles.
Each of those programs was built on a simple premise: that the best tools are simple to use and produce benefits customers can see.
“There is a misconception that customers must compromise on comfort to fully engage in energy efficiency,” said Philip Roy, Director of Clean Energy Solutions at ComEd. “In fact, it’s the exact opposite. Customers can upgrade appliances, equipment and controls in a way that allows them to better manage comfort while earning incentives to offset the cost of investments and driving lasting, meaningful savings.”
Each customer profile comes with its own practical tips, programs and next steps for saving energy and cutting costs. Given that electricity bills are highest in summer months, it’s an ideal time to consider efficiency measures and learn about programs that can lower bills.
Customers Facing Affordability Challenges
For customers struggling to keep up with monthly bills, ComEd continues to enhance its wide range of bill-support options. Some customers qualify for grants, payment arrangements, and waivers of deposit and late-payment charges.
Earlier this year, ComEd launched its Delivery Time-of-Day pricing rate, which enables households to save money by shifting their energy usage to times when lower power demand means lower electricity prices. The company also introduced a Low-Income Discount (LID) program, offering qualifying customers percentage-based discounts on their electric bills based on income level up to 300% of the federal poverty level. These discounts build on LIHEAP and are intended to reduce energy costs to 3% to 6% of total household income.
To help customers sort through the full range of energy-efficiency and bill-assistance programs, ComEd offers its Smart Assistance Manager at ComEd.com/SAM. This online resource asks customers a few questions, then sorts through all the options ComEd has available to recommend personalized options. SAM will also provide links for more information and to help apply.
Traditional Energy Users
For customers focused on everyday energy needs and having reliable electricity at the lowest possible cost, the ComEd Energy Efficiency Program is a natural fit. Customers can get rebates and discounts on home appliances, heating and cooling systems and more. To explore options that can help lower your monthly home energy costs, visit ComEd.com/WaysToSave.
Those who live in multi-family housing can achieve further energy and cost savings by encouraging their property owners or managers to schedule a free ComEd energy assessment for the building, available at ComEd.com/MultiFamily. Traditional energy users, including apartment residents, can explore the benefits of community solar without installing panels by visiting ComEd.com/CommunitySolar.
Households Seeking to Fully Electrify
Residential households are increasingly moving towards full electrification to optimize long-term energy and cost savings. As part of their electrification journey, some households may face financial barriers, such as the upfront costs of electric vehicles (EVs) and charging infrastructure, electric heat pumps and solar panels. To help ease this transition, ComEd offers a range of rebates on clean energy technologies that can make these products more affordable. While some EV rebate funding has already been exhausted in 2026, ComEd expects its EV rebate efforts to continue into 2027. Select rebate opportunities, including funding for EV fleet vehicles are still available in 2026. Customers can explore a range of other clean energy options to help them save at ComEd.com/EV.
ComEd’s Whole Home Electric program offers comprehensive savings projects for households seeking to fully electrify, found at ComEd.com/WholeHomeElectric.
Rural Agricultural Users
ComEd may be headquartered in Chicago, but the company supports rural communities in northcentral and northwestern Illinois, where farmers rely on electricity to support both daily residential life and critical agriculture operations, from protecting livestock to powering irrigation and heating/cooling systems. These customers face unique energy challenges, including exposure to extreme weather and the need for reliable service during peak agricultural seasons. ComEd offers free facility assessments to agricultural customers to identify energy saving opportunities specific to their needs. To explore options to save money and energy at your farm or agribusiness, visit ComEd.com/Agriculture.
Small Business Owners
Small business owners often work with thin profit margins, which is why affordable, reliable energy is so critical to keeping their doors open and being able to serve their customers day-to-day. ComEd recognizes that while these businesses are interested in saving energy and reducing costs, they often lack the time to navigate complex solutions.
But that’s where ComEd comes in. The company dispatches authorized energy efficiency service providers to visit small businesses and perform free energy assessments, including tips for how to make lighting, HVAC and other building equipment upgrades simple and cost-effective. These experts guide customers through each step of the process—from identifying eligible upgrades to installation and incentive processing. Customers with an electrical peak demand under 500 kW are eligible, and they can learn more about options to save at ComEd.com/SmallBiz.
Business owners can also track their actual energy usage data, spot when and where energy is being wasted and identify simple changes that can lower costs through ComEd’s free Business Energy Analyzer (BEA) tool. Learn more at ComEd.com/BEA.
Large Commercial Buildings and Industrial Load Users
Offices, schools, hospitals, manufacturers, and other large commercial and industrial customers manage complex energy systems to keep productivity high and operations running 24/7. For these customers, Strategic Energy Management (SEM) is the way to go. This offering, which is part of the ComEd Energy Efficiency Program, is a way for facilities to make continuous, long-term improvements that reduce energy use and rein in costs. SEM also includes employee training to embed energy management practices into daily operations. Customers with annual energy usage over 5,000 megawatt-hours, which can include bundling of smaller facilities, can learn more by visiting ComEd.com/SEM.
These large businesses can also utilize ComEd’s free online Business Energy Analyzer (BEA) tool to quickly identify energy-saving opportunities at ComEd.com/BEA.
Additionally, commercial and industrial customers can take advantage of distributed generation rebates from ComEd to lower costs of the purchase and installation of solar panels, available at ComEd.com/Solar.
In essence, there’s a ComEd program that suits every customer, no matter how big or small.
This story is part of a series highlighting ways that ComEd is acting on its Long-Range Strategy priorities of investing in People, Power and Progress.
