What should you know about Batavia utilities before you move?
Batavia utilities work differently from most of Chicago’s Western Suburbs: inside city limits, the City of Batavia, not ComEd, sells your electricity, and the same city bill covers water and sewer. Natural gas comes from Nicor Gas, and trash and recycling run through a city program with Groot Industries. The city has also proposed a 3.5% electric increase and 8% water and sewer increases starting January 1, 2027, so confirm the provider and the current rates for any address before you set your monthly budget.
By Kealan O’Neil, Designated Managing Broker, O’Neil Property Group
If you are just starting to look at homes in Batavia, Illinois, the listing will not tell you who sends the electric bill, how the July sewer charge is figured, or what the council votes on in December. Here are six things to know about Batavia utilities, pulled from the city code, the city’s budget release, and the electric utility’s own planning documents.
Batavia utilities start with a city-owned electric system
1. Your electric provider is the city, not ComEd
Batavia owns and operates its own electric system. According to the city’s draft Integrated Resource Plan posted by the Illinois Power Agency, the utility serves about 10,000 residential, commercial, and industrial customers across a service territory of roughly 10 square miles.
That changes how shopping for power works. Under Illinois law, control of a municipal electric system sits with the city’s own governing body, and a city may open its system to alternative retail electric suppliers under 220 ILCS 5/17-200 only if it chooses to and files notice with the Illinois Commerce Commission.
In practice, plan on paying the rates the city council sets by ordinance, not comparing supplier offers the way you might in a ComEd town.
2. What a Batavia electric bill is made of
The residential rate is written into the city code. Section 8-1A-5 of the Batavia municipal code on electric rates sets a monthly customer charge of $17.75 and an energy charge of $0.10701 per kilowatt hour for bills issued starting January 1, 2026. The minimum monthly bill is also $17.75.
The code also applies a purchased power adjustment factor to bills issued on and after January 1, 2026. It moves with what the city actually paid for power and transmission two months before the billing month, so the same usage can cost a little more or less from one month to the next.
Meters are read by radio signal and billed monthly, and a 5% delayed payment charge is added after 25 days from the billing date.
3. The city’s power planning can show up on future bills
Most of Batavia’s supply comes through a contract with the Northern Illinois Municipal Power Agency for 55 megawatts of energy from the coal-fired Prairie State Generating Center. The draft plan says that contract obligates Batavia to pay Prairie State bond payments and pass-through costs through 2041, regardless of the plant’s operating status.
The consultant’s draft names capacity market payments as Batavia’s biggest cost risk and suggests a natural gas generator, smart thermostat programs, time-of-use rates, and managed electric vehicle charging. A city task force was still reviewing the plan on October 28, 2026, so none of that is decided.
You may also hear about the data center planned in town. The draft plan says the city intends to serve it through market purchases with all costs paid by the data center. If you plan to add an electric vehicle or a heat pump, watch whether time-of-use pricing comes to Batavia utilities.
Water, sewer, and the proposed 2027 rate changes
4. How the water and sewer charges are calculated
Water and sewer are on the same city bill as electric. For a standard meter of three-quarters of an inch or smaller, the code lists these residential charges for bills issued after January 1, 2026:
- Water: a $5.80 monthly fixed charge, $4.33 per 100 cubic feet used, and a $3.75 monthly residential capital fee.
- Sewer: a $14.63 monthly fixed charge, $6.48 per 100 cubic feet, and a $3.75 monthly residential capital fee.
Sewer volume normally equals the water your meter records. There is one helpful exception for single-family homes with one water meter: for the four monthly bills issued after June 15, sewer volume is capped at the lesser of your actual use or 130% of your average from the prior December, January, and February.
That cap keeps lawn watering from being billed as sewage. If you close in spring with no winter history at the address, the code uses the lesser of your actual use or 1,500 cubic feet instead.
The water itself comes from city wells, and the city’s own FAQ describes it as hard, at about 25 grains per gallon. Ask whether the home has a water softener, how old it is, and whether it stays with the house.
5. What the proposed 2027 budget would change
On October 30, 2026, the city released a proposed $173.36 million budget for fiscal year 2027. The city’s release lists these utility changes, effective January 1, 2027, if the council adopts them:
- Electric: a 3.5% increase to energy and demand rates for system reliability, maintenance, and debt obligations.
- Water: an 8% increase for aging infrastructure and regulatory requirements.
- Sewer: an 8% increase for wastewater treatment improvements and related debt.
The same proposal would raise the city’s property tax rate from $0.86 to $0.96 per $100 of equalized assessed valuation. The city estimates that adds about $120 a year for a home valued at $400,000, and it says the city’s share is about 12% of a typical total tax bill.
This follows the 2026 budget, which raised electric rates 3%, the city’s first electric increase since 2015. The public hearing was set for November 10, 2026, and Tri-Cities Central reported that final adoption is expected December 7. Check the city’s FY2027 budget page for the version that passes, since a proposal can change before the vote.
For the bigger picture on projects that could affect your street, our Batavia development watch list covers the riverfront, redevelopment sites, and the 2026 rate changes in one place.
Setting up service and avoiding surprises at closing
6. Deposits, start-up, and the providers outside City Hall
You start electric, water, and sewer with the city’s utility billing office at City Hall, 100 N. Island Ave. The deposit rules depend on whether you own or rent.
- Electric: the code requires no electric deposit when the applicant owns the home. Renters pay $50 or $75 depending on the rate class, held for two years.
- Water: a $20 deposit when estimated use is under $50 a month, or one month of estimated charges if it is higher. It is returned after two years of on-time payment or when service ends.
- Natural gas: start service directly with Nicor Gas.
- Trash and recycling: Groot Industries runs the city’s curbside program. You choose a 35, 65, or 95-gallon refuse cart, keep the existing recycling cart, and Groot bills you separately from the city.
Ask the seller for recent city and Groot bills. Twelve months of real numbers beat any estimate.
Confirm the address is really on Batavia utilities
A Batavia mailing address does not guarantee city service. The code says city water goes only to land inside the corporate limits, with limited exceptions such as annexation agreements, so some homes with a Batavia address in unincorporated areas may use ComEd, a private well, and a septic system.
If the listing shows a well or septic, plan on separate inspections and permits through the county. Our guide to septic inspections and what buyers miss walks through what to ask for.
There is one more wrinkle. Under the code, a home annexed into Batavia after 1996 that was on ComEd at annexation must switch to the city’s electric system when the owner applies for new or changed electric service, as long as city lines are within 200 feet. If the seller says the house is on ComEd, ask whether a panel upgrade, addition, or other change you have planned would trigger that switch.
Line up final readings before you close
Unpaid city utility bills can follow the property. For sewer, the code makes the owner, the occupant, and the user jointly responsible and lets the city file a lien with the county recorder once a bill goes 45 days unpaid. For electric, the city attorney may start proceedings against a property after 90 days of nonpayment.
Ask your attorney to request final readings for the closing date, and confirm the seller’s final bills are handled. Read the meters yourself during your final walkthrough before closing so you have your own starting numbers.
Also ask whether the water service line was replaced, since the city has been replacing lead and galvanized lines.
Batavia utilities checklist before you make an offer
- Confirm city limits and providers. Verify whether the address gets City of Batavia electric, water, and sewer, or ComEd, a well, and septic.
- Request 12 months of bills. Ask for city utility statements and Groot statements so you can see real seasonal swings.
- Check the summer sewer cap. If you close in spring, expect the 1,500 cubic foot cap instead of a winter average for your first summer.
- Price in the 2027 proposal. Add the proposed 3.5% electric and 8% water and sewer increases to your budget until the council votes.
- Look at the softener and service line. Ask about softener age and ownership, and whether the water service line was replaced.
- Plan deposits and start dates. Schedule city, Nicor Gas, and Groot service for your closing date, and know which deposits apply to you.
- Order final readings. Have your attorney request final readings and record the meter numbers yourself at the final walkthrough.
For commute options and more on the city, see our Batavia, IL community guide.
Batavia utilities questions people ask when they start looking
Does Batavia, IL use ComEd for electricity?
What is the residential electric rate in Batavia?
Are Batavia water and sewer rates going up in 2027?
Do I need a water softener in Batavia?
How do I choose a real estate agent in Batavia, IL who checks utility costs?
Budget for the whole monthly bill, not only the mortgage
Batavia utilities are one of the easiest costs to get wrong when you compare towns, because the provider, the rates, and the 2027 changes are all local decisions.
If you are starting to look in Batavia and want help checking providers, bills, and the details for a short list of homes, I am happy to walk through it with you, no pressure. Call or text Kealan at 630-425-8815.
About Kealan O’Neil
Kealan O’Neil is the Designated Managing Broker and founder of O’Neil Property Group, an independent real estate brokerage based in Yorkville, Illinois. He and his team help buyers and sellers in Yorkville, Oswego, Montgomery, and the surrounding Kendall and Kane County communities, and he owns and manages a local rental portfolio, so he approaches every decision as both a broker and an investor. Call or text Kealan at 630-425-8815.
This post is general information about real estate in the Fox Valley, not legal, tax, or financial advice. Real estate laws, tax rules, and municipal ordinances change, and how they apply depends on your specific situation. Talk with a licensed attorney, CPA, or lender before making decisions about a purchase, sale, or tax matter. O’Neil Property Group is a licensed Illinois real estate brokerage.