Naperville residents will see an increase in their utility bill starting in January.
Despite concerns about the financial impact on seniors and low-income residents, the Naperville City Council on Tuesday unanimously approved higher electric, water and sewer rates for the next three years to help pay for infrastructure projects.
For the average homeowner paying $188.55 a month for utilities, the rate hike will add $4 to $5 to their monthly bill in 2022, 2023 and 2024. The increase is smaller next year because the electric rate hike won’t take effect until 2023.
Former councilman Dick Furstenau spoke at Tuesday’s meeting about the hardship that will be felt by residents who live in all-electric homes and rely on electric heating, cooling and cooking.
“There were a lot of all-electric buildings built in this town, a lot of apartment buildings,” Furstenau said. “They use a lot of electricity on the furnaces, and that gets to be expensive in the wintertime. Most of the people who rent those units are low-income people. They pay the rent, but it’s difficult.”
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