|
CUB To Give Free Utility-bill 'Checkups' In Evanston, Show People How To Cut Their Phone, Energy Costs
EVANSTON, August 23, 2010—The Citizens Utility Board (CUB) will hold free “Utility Bill Checkups” and give out money-saving light bulbs to show Evanston residents how to save potentially hundreds of dollars on their telephone and energy bills at an event in September.
This free event is part of a campaign kicked off by CUB and Evanston Mayor Elizabeth Tisdahl in August to help residents cut their power bills through CUB Energy Saver, an online service that builds a money-saving plan for homes. Consumers should bring their telephone, natural gas, and electric bills for a free, one-on-one consultation with a CUB expert who will search for ways to lower their utility costs. The event is:
10 a.m. to noon and 5 p.m. to 7 p.m. Tuesday, Sept. 7
The Levy Center 300 Dodge Ave. Evanston “As Evanston families wrestle with the economy and CUB fights to protect consumers in more than $1 billion in legal battles with Illinois utilities, people just want to save money,” CUB Executive Director David Kolata said. “There are a lot of ways to trim your utility costs, and CUB knows all about them. You just can’t find a free service like this anywhere else.” CUB has been saving consumers hundreds of dollars a year on their phone bills, and it has become one of Illinois’ best resources for energy-efficiency programs, including CUB Energy Saver (www.CUBEnergySaver.com), which so far has been showing Illinois families how to cut their utility bills by an average of about $200 a year. It also is the nation’s only online service that in effect pays consumers, through a rewards program, for reducing their ComEd bill. Earlier this month, CUB and the City of Evanston launched a campaign to help residents cut costs by using CUB Energy Saver. Since then, the community has rocketed to first place in the number of CUB Energy Saver members and second in projected energy saved in a competition among Illinois communities for up to 10,000 Compact Fluorescent Light (CFL) bulbs. At CUB’s “Utility Bill Checkup” customers also will get information about: *The low-cost Consumer’s Choice local-calling plans, which are under a price freeze for at least the next three years; avoiding unnecessary charges such as AT&T’s Line-Backer service; and getting an automatic $10 credit with one of the best long-distance deals in the nation. *The CUB Cellphone Saver, www.CUBCellphoneSaver.com, an online tool that automatically analyzes individual wireless bills. The Cellphone Saver, created by a Texas-based company called Validas, has been showing consumers how to cut their wireless bills by an average of more than $300 a year. *Great rebates and other incentives of up to $1,500 for making a home more energy efficient. CUB has created Illinois’ most comprehensive library of such incentives at www.CUBLiveWire.org. Attendees should bring their phone, electric, and gas bills so CUB experts can look them over, search for any errors, and give cost-cutting tips. All participants will get a free CFL by showing up at the event (one per family). CUB is Illinois’ leading nonprofit utility watchdog organization. Created by the Illinois Legislature, CUB opened its doors in 1984 to represent the interests of residential and small-business utility customers. Since then, CUB has saved consumers more than $10 billion by helping to block rate hikes and secure consumer refunds. For more information, call CUB’s Consumer Hotline, at 1-800-669-5556, or visit CUB’s award-winning website, www.CitizensUtilityBoard.org. |