About ICEA – Competitive Electricity & Natural Gas Markets

The Association’s Mission

The Illinois Competitive Energy Association (ICEA) is an Illinois-based trade association of the leading alternative retail electric and gas supplier companies whose mission is to preserve and enhance retail competition and customer choice in the State’s competitive electricity and natural gas markets by carrying out the following mission elements in a proactive and effective manner:

  • Fostering a regulatory and legislative environment that provides all customers a choice of an alternative retail electric or gas supplier to be their energy supply provider as a competitive alternative to utility supply service;
  • Educating regulators, legislators, policymakers, and the public that alternative retail electric and gas suppliers provide competitive pricing and value-added products as a customer supply service option to utility supply service;
  • Being the relied-upon “go to” resource for legislators, regulators, policy makers, the media, and the public on competitive retail energy market issues;
  • Defending against legislative and regulatory actions that would cripple or kill retail competition and customer choice in the electric and natural gas markets.

The Association’s Guiding Principles

Competitive wholesale and retail energy markets offer specific benefits to both consumers and the environment in comparison to government-controlled monopoly regulation.  The Illinois Competitive Energy Association believes that:

  • Competitive energy markets allow consumers to shop among suppliers for innovative products, services, and rate plans that best meet their needs;
  • Competitive energy markets are the best way to meet customer preferences of control, convenience, and choice of energy supply options and innovative energy management products at a competitive price;
  • Competitive energy markets offer value added products and services to address climate change, demand response opportunities, energy conservation, and renewable energy deployment.

The Association’s Value Proposition

Advantages of Association membership include the following benefits:

  • Critical regulatory, legislative, and membership services at a cost-effective investment of member company resources that is unlikely to be achieved if the supplier company acted on its own or contracted such services at today’s market price;
  • The benefit of a respected and influential competitive energy market advocate before regulators, legislators, policymakers, stakeholders, the media, and the public.
  • A greater ability to participate in and help shape regulatory, legislative, and public advocacy projects affecting Illinois’ continuously evolving competitive markets.
  • The resources to monitor issues and represent the Association members in matters before the Illinois General Assembly and the Illinois Commerce Commission that affect Illinois energy markets.
  • The services of a full-time Chief Executive Officer with extensive regulatory and legislative experience and an experienced outside Energy and Legal Counsel dedicated to pursuing the Association’s mission and principles.

ICEA Member Company Comments

Membership value and service is central to ICEA’s goals and objectives. ICEA member company comments underscore ICEA’s value as a competitive market trade association:

  • “ICEA demonstrates the ability to quickly and succinctly identify issues and create a plan of attack. ICEA does not seem to be as hindered as other similar associations are to assess situations and make a strategy for resolution.”
  • “I don’t know of a single thing that has “slipped through the cracks” and feel I am aware of the key issues that I need to know about. Those qualities alone make ICEA a great association, regardless of price.”
  • “My company believes that we are getting our money’s worth in dues because of the legislative and lobbying services that ICEA does, which we are unlikely to fund on our own. We are very pleased with the regulatory effort as well.”