What air conditioning costs to run in Illinois
Illinois homes use 1,506 kWh a year on air conditioning. Priced on top of the rest of the bill, that costs $160.32 to $160.32 a year across 24 published Illinois plans — a $0.00 gap. Checked September 2, 2026.
Every priced plan, average
| Plan | Per year | vs cheapest | Effective |
|---|---|---|---|
| Residential Single Family With Electric Space Heat Delivery Class(Retail Delivery Service-Unbundled)flat rate · delivery charges only | $22.80 | −$137.52 | 4.5¢ |
| Residential Multi Family With Electric Space Heat Delivery Class(Retail Delivery Service-Unbundled)flat rate · delivery charges only | $27.36 | −$132.96 | 3.6¢ |
| Residential Single Family Without Electric Space Heat Delivery Class(Retail Delivery Service)flat rate · delivery charges only | $41.76 | −$118.56 | 5.5¢ |
| BESH- Residential Single Family With Electric Space Heat Delivery Class(Unbundled)demand charge · delivery charges only | $47.02 | −$113.30 | 6.1¢ |
| BESH- Residential Multi Family With Electric Space Heat Delivery Class(Unbundled)demand charge · delivery charges only | $51.46 | −$108.86 | 5.3¢ |
| Residential Multi Family Without Electric Space Heat Delivery Class(Retail Delivery Service-Unbundled)flat rate · delivery charges only | $52.68 | −$107.64 | 5.1¢ |
| RDS - Residential Multi Family With Electric Space Heat Delivery Classtime-of-use · delivery charges only | $65.76 | −$94.56 | 6.7¢ |
| BESH- Residential Single Family Without Electric Space Heat Delivery Class(Unbundled)demand charge · delivery charges only | $65.86 | −$94.46 | 7.1¢ |
| RDS - Residential Single Family with Electric Space Heat Delivery Classtime-of-use · delivery charges only | $67.80 | −$92.52 | 7.6¢ |
| BESH- Residential Multi Family Without Electric Space Heat Delivery Class(Unbundled)demand charge · delivery charges only | $76.78 | −$83.54 | 6.8¢ |
| RDS - Residential Multi Family Without Electric Space Heat Delivery Classtime-of-use · delivery charges only | $93.60 | −$66.72 | 8.4¢ |
| Electric Heat Residential Income Qualified Senior Citizen - Southern View (Rate 36)time-of-use · income-qualified rate | $136.20 | −$24.12 | 10.1¢ |
| Electric Heat Residential Income Qualified Senior Citizen (Rate 37)time-of-use · income-qualified rate | $136.20 | −$24.12 | 10.1¢ |
| BES - Residential Multi Family With Electric Space Heat Delivery Classtime-of-use · delivery charges only | $142.36 | −$17.96 | 11.8¢ |
| BES - Residential Single Family with Electric Space Heat Delivery Classtime-of-use · delivery charges only | $143.16 | −$17.16 | 12.6¢ |
| Regular Residential- Southern View Senior Citizen (Rate 32)time-of-use · senior citizens only | $144.60 | −$15.72 | 10.7¢ |
| Regular Residential - Senior Citizen (Rate 33)time-of-use · senior citizens only | $144.60 | −$15.72 | 10.7¢ |
| Electric Heat Residential (Rate 34)time-of-use · needs electric heating | $150.88 | −$9.44 | 11.3¢ |
| Electric Heat Residential - Southern View (Rate 35)time-of-use · needs electric heating | $150.88 | −$9.44 | 11.3¢ |
| Regular Residential - Southern View (Rate 31)✓ cheapesttime-of-use | $160.32 | — | 11.9¢ |
| Regular Residential (Rate 30)time-of-use | $160.32 | +$0.00 | 11.9¢ |
| BES - Residential Multi Family Without Electric Space Heat Delivery Classtime-of-use · delivery charges only | $168.96 | +$8.64 | 13.4¢ |
| BES - Residential Single Family Without Electric Space Heat Delivery Classtime-of-use · delivery charges only | $190.36 | +$30.04 | 15.4¢ |
| RDS - Residential Single Family Without Electric Space Heat Delivery Classtime-of-use · delivery charges only | $309.72 | +$149.40 | 23.3¢ |
Cost across usage levels
The cheapest plan at each consumption level, showing whether the ranking holds as usage changes.
- Lighter use — cheapest $72.64 (Regular Residential (Rate 30)), dearest $72.64
- Average — cheapest $160.32 (Regular Residential - Southern View (Rate 31)), dearest $160.32, a $0.00 spread
- Heavier use — cheapest $218.92 (Regular Residential (Rate 30)), dearest $218.92
What air conditioning costs here
Across 24 plans priced in Illinois, air conditioning adds $160.32 to $160.32 a year — $13.36 to $13.36 a month. The median plan puts air conditioning at $160.32 a year.
Cheapest for air conditioning: Regular Residential - Southern View (Rate 31), City of Springfield, Illinois (Utility Company). Dearest: Regular Residential (Rate 30), City of Springfield, Illinois (Utility Company).
Those 1,506 kWh are billed at 10.6¢–10.6¢, against a 11.9¢ whole-bill average on the median plan, so on these plans the two rates are close.
What Illinois homes use
EIA's 2020 residential survey found 1,506 kWh a year across 514 sampled homes that run one, 35% under the national 2,318 kWh. The middle half spans 682 kWh to 2,057 kWh, so air conditioning varies by 1,375 kWh between one household and another.
All electricity used for cooling — central systems, heat pumps in cooling mode, and window or wall units — plus the air handler that runs with them. That average covers homes with air conditioning — 96% of homes here.
That makes air conditioning about 18% of the electricity an Illinois home uses. The remaining 6,945 kWh is what air conditioning is billed on top of, and on a tiered or time-of-use plan that is what sets the rate it meets.
Light and heavy use of air conditioning
A household in the lighter quarter runs air conditioning for 682 kWh a year and pays $72.64 on the cheapest plan. One in the heavier quarter runs it for 2,057 kWh and pays $218.92 — $146.28 more for air conditioning on the same tariff.
Limits
A 2020 survey average for Illinois, not a measurement of any one home, priced against the 24 Illinois tariffs WattClear has ingested — not every plan sold there.
New to these terms? The methodology page explains tiered bands, time-of-use periods and fixed charges, and sets out exactly what the rate engine assumes.
Estimate — your actual bill may differ.
Tariff structures from NREL/OpenEI Utility Rate Database (CC0 1.0), retrieved September 2, 2026.
Location resolved through the US Census Bureau Geocoder (Public domain) at 39.7817, -89.6501.