Power Outage Risk & Generator Size in Chicago, IL
Primary Utility: Commonwealth Edison Co (Investor-Owned) · Avg 2.2 hrs/yr annual blackout time across 0.68 outages/yr.
LiFePO4 Portable Power Station (1,000W–2,000W Indoor Safe)
Your utility averages 2.2 hrs/yr of outage time per year (194 min per blackout). A plug-and-play LiFePO4 battery station powers your refrigerator, Wi-Fi router, and essentials silently indoors with zero fumes.
⚡ Home Backup Wattage Sizer for Chicago, IL
Check the appliances you need to keep running during a blackout. We calculate your continuous running watts, highest motor starting surge, and 20% NEC safety headroom automatically.
🌩️ Severe Weather Storms vs. Everyday Grid Equipment Outages
U.S. EIA Form 861 measures utility blackouts both With Major Event Days (hurricanes, ice storms, derechos, high winds) and Without Major Event Days (everyday tree limbs, transformer trips, and equipment aging):
Electric Utilities & Outage Reliability in Chicago, IL
Source: Official U.S. Energy Information Administration (EIA Form 861) utility filings and DOE OpenEI service territory lookups. SAIDI is total annual outage minutes per customer; SAIFI is annual outage frequency; CAIDI is average restoration minutes per outage. How we grade utilities.
| Electric Utility | Service Status & Type | Outages / Yr (SAIFI) | Normal Grid (No Storms) | Total Outage Time (With Storms) | Avg Restoration (CAIDI) | Residential Rate | Reliability Grade |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Commonwealth Edison Co EIA #4110 (IEEE 1366) · 2,922,223 customers | Serves This Area Investor-Owned | 0.68x / yr | 36 min (0.6 hr) | 132 min (2.2 hr) | 194 min | 15.22 ¢/kWh | Grade B · Moderate |
| Ameren Illinois Company EIA #56697 (IEEE 1366) · 540,396 customers | In-State Comparison Investor-Owned | 1.13x / yr | 121 min (2.0 hr) | 224 min (3.7 hr) | 198 min | 8.29 ¢/kWh | Grade B · Moderate |
| MidAmerican Energy Co EIA #12341 (IEEE 1366) · 73,564 customers | In-State Comparison Investor-Owned | 1.80x / yr | 174 min (2.9 hr) | 352 min (5.9 hr) | 196 min | 9.99 ¢/kWh | Grade C · Elevated Storm Risk |
| City of Springfield - (IL) EIA #17828 (Utility Standard) · 59,621 customers | In-State Comparison Municipal | 1.09x / yr | 83 min (1.4 hr) | 83 min (1.4 hr) | 76 min | 11.95 ¢/kWh | Grade A · Low |
| City of Naperville - (IL) EIA #13208 (IEEE 1366) · 56,117 customers | In-State Comparison Municipal | 0.50x / yr | 25 min (0.4 hr) | 25 min (0.4 hr) | 50 min | 12.98 ¢/kWh | Grade A · Low |
| Corn Belt Energy Corporation EIA #4362 (IEEE 1366) · 34,710 customers | In-State Comparison Cooperative | 5.21x / yr | 152 min (2.5 hr) | 312 min (5.2 hr) | 60 min | 15.76 ¢/kWh | Grade C · Elevated Storm Risk |
| Southwestern Electric Coop Inc - (IL) EIA #17697 (IEEE 1366) · 24,822 customers | In-State Comparison Cooperative | 2.21x / yr | 263 min (4.4 hr) | 305 min (5.1 hr) | 138 min | 13.68 ¢/kWh | Grade C · Elevated Storm Risk |
| Southeastern IL Elec Coop, Inc EIA #17585 (IEEE 1366) · 22,731 customers | In-State Comparison Cooperative | 3.07x / yr | 138 min (2.3 hr) | 603 min (10.0 hr) | 196 min | 14.47 ¢/kWh | Grade D · High |
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