Events

Email Alerts

Retail Energy Jobs

 

 

 

About/Contact

Search

Report Shows Residential Retail Supplier Rates As High As $3.91 per Therm

October 29, 2025

Email This Story
Copyright 2025 EnergyChoiceMatters.com
Reporting by Paul Ring • ring@energychoicematters.com

The following story is brought free of charge to readers by VertexOne, the exclusive EDI provider of EnergyChoiceMatters.com

The highest residential alternative gas supplier (AGS) rate in Illinois charged during the period September 1, 2024 through August 31, 2025 was a fixed rate of $3.91 per therm, which was charged from September 2024 through August 2025, by an AGS in the Nicor service area, according to an annual natural gas market report from the Illinois Commerce Commission's Office of Retail Market Development

In August 2024, the Nicor variable supply rate was $0.36 per therm, and the highest Nicor supply rate during the period September 1, 2024 through August 31, 2025 was $0.58 per therm.

The ICC's residential AGS new offer archives only go back one year (thus August 2024 & September 2024 offers are not available), but in October 2024, numerous AGSs were offering residential plans at Nicor in the range of $0.50 per therm

For the North Shore Gas territory, the highest residential AGS rate charged was a fixed rate of $3.38 per therm charged from November 2024 through May 2025. For the People’s Gas territory, the highest residential AGS rate charged was a variable rate of $1.80 per therm, which was charged from September 2024 through August 2025

The lowest residential AGS rate charged in the Nicor territory was a variable rate product of $0.124 per therm charged in September of 2024. In the North Shore Gas territory, the lowest residential AGS rate was $0.124 per therm, charged in September 2024 under a variable product. In the People’s Gas territory, the lowest residential AGS rate was $0.124 per therm, charged in September 2024 under a variable product

In reporting the statutorily required AGS charged rate information, ORMD noted that, "The statute does not require, and AGS did not provide, a description of the types of products associated with the various rates charged or how many customers are enrolled on each rate. Given the number of non-rate benefits, such as airline miles and smart devices, that the AGS utilize in their marketing promotions, this omission often renders it difficult to accurately reflect the benefits provided to customers. Additionally, the reports do not include information about how the various rate products were marketed to customers."

ORMD reported that in the Small Volume Transportation (SVT) market, which includes residential and small non-residential customers, AGSs as of December 2024 served more than 190,000 residential and more than 55,000 small non-residential customers, representing 6.16% of eligible residential customers and more than 19.15% of small non-residential customers Combined, there were 246,351 SVT customers on AGS supply in 2024, compared to 274,529 in 2023.

By utility, residential shopping was as follows as of December 2024:

               Number Of     % Of Total
                Migrated     Customers
               Customers      Switched
Nicor            140,023       6.7%
Peoples           41,014       4.8%
North Shore        9,797       6.4%

In 2024, there were 44 active SVT suppliers in the Nicor Gas, Peoples Gas, and North Shore Gas territories.

For the residential market, as of August 2025, 13 suppliers were posting offers on the ICC's rate board at Nicor, 10 were posting offers at Peoples, and 10 were posting offers at North Shore. The posting of residential supply offers is mandatory for AGS companies

Using a Herfindahl-Hirschmann Index (HHI) value, ORMD said that the residential market remains competitive across all three utility territories, with little change from the prior year

ORMD reported on the market share of AGSs with respect to migrated residential customers (market share of switched customers, not overall distribution customers), as shown below:

2024 AGS Market Share Of Switched
Residential Customers

             Nicor    Peoples    North
                                 Shore
% Market
Share Of
Largest 3
AGSs          44%       32%       46%


Range of      Number Of Suppliers
Share       within Market Share % Range

             Nicor    Peoples    North
% Share                          Shore
  > 15%       1          0         2
  5-15%       6          8         5
  1-5%        9          8         6
  0-1%       18         16        10

The only notable changes from the year-ago market share data is that, at Peoples Gas, the aggregate residential market share of the three largest AGSs decreased from 35% in 2023 to 32% in 2024

Additionally, in the Nicor residential market, the number of AGSs with 0-1% market share decreased from 22 in 2023 to 18 in 2024, while the number of AGSs with 1-5% market share increased from 6 in 2023 to 9 in 2024

For the third year in a row, no supplier in the Peoples Gas territory served more than 15% of the residential market.

Link to ORMD gas report

ADVERTISEMENT
NEW Jobs on RetailEnergyJobs.com:
NEW -- Account Executive (Commercial Retail Energy)

Email This Story

HOME

Copyright 2025 EnergyChoiceMatters.com. Unauthorized copying, retransmission, or republication prohibited. You are not permitted to copy any work or text of EnergyChoiceMatters.com without the separate and express written consent of EnergyChoiceMatters.com

 

Events

Email Alerts

Retail Energy Jobs

 

 

 

About/Contact

Search