You will be paying less for electricity through Ameren Illinois in the New Year. The Illinois Commerce Commission has approved a request for an approximately $17.3-million decrease in delivery service rates for 2018. The savings will begin in January. An Ameren spokesman says this is a result of continued investment in infrastructure and the lower cost of financing. Ameren Illinois spokesman Marcelyn Love says this is the second year in a row customers will see a decrease in delivery costs.

For the typical residential customer using 10,000 kilo-watt-hours of electricity, this reduction should mean a savings of about $1.70 monthly. According to information provided by the utility, this is the fifth such rate cut since the Smart Grid bill was passed in 2011.