Commonwealth Edison customers will see a rate hike this summer that could increase their electricity bills as much as $10 per cycle, a change that consumer affairs advocates say could make or break marginalized customers.

“[It’s] unfortunate, because the people who really can’t afford it the most are going to be affected,” said Scott Onque, pastor at St. Luke Missionary Baptist Church in South Shore. “Marginalized communities, poor communities, Black and brown communities will have to deal with a $10 increase on their bill, or an estimated $10 increase per month on their bill. And it may sound fractional to some, but you know, $10 could make or break a person, as far as paying their bills in some communities.”

For decades, a little-known nonprofit organization has played a central role in keeping the lights on for 65 million people in the Eastern United States.

Even some governors and lawmakers acknowledge that they were not fully aware of how much influence the organization, PJM, has on the cost and reliability of energy in 13 states. The electrical grid it manages is the largest in the United States.

Ameren Illinois’ summer price for electricity will soar by an estimated 50 percent on June 1, the Citizens Utility Board (CUB) warned in a consumer alert Thursday, as the watchdog urged the utility to work with customers struggling to pay their bills so they can keep their power on during hot weather.

ComEd customers are about to see a big spike in their electric bills.

As the Chicago Sun-Times reported in November, the demand for power from big data centers and a delay in connecting new power sources, such as solar and wind, to the electric grid is resulting in ComEd customers seeing their monthly bills go up $10.60 a month on average.

ComEd customers may be feeling the heat this summer after a spike in electricity supply charges goes into effect in June, just in time for air conditioning season.