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CUB To Give Free Utility-bill ‘Checkups’ In Carol Stream, Show People How To Cut Their Phone, Energy Costs
CHICAGO, Dec. 21, 2010—As part of a campaign to cut utility bills for Village of Carol Stream residents, the Citizens Utility Board (CUB) will hold a free “Utility Bill Checkup,” an event to show consumers how they could save potentially hundreds of dollars on their telephone and energy costs.
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 monthly utility costs. The event is:
4 p.m. to 7 p.m., Thursday, Jan. 13
Carol Stream Public Library--Discovery Room 616 Hiawatha Dr. Carol Stream Note: Space is limited. Please register online for this event or by calling CUB Outreach Director Sarah Moskowitz, at 1-800-669-5556, ext. 127. “As Illinois families struggle with the economy and CUB battles utilities in about $1 billion in legal battles for higher rates, people just want to save money,” CUB Executive Director David Kolata said. “The truth is there are a lot of ways to trim your monthly utility costs, and CUB knows all about them. Carol Stream residents 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 the consumer group has become one of Illinois’ best resources for money-saving energy-efficiency tips and programs. Consumers frequently complain that they can’t get reliable information from the utility companies, but CUB can deliver information about: *The low-cost Consumer’s Choice local-calling plans, which are under a price freeze at least until June of 2013; 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. *CUB Energy Saver (www.CUBEnergySaver.com), a free online service that can help consumers build a money-saving plan perfect for their homes. In November, CUB held a news conference in Carol Stream to promote CUB Energy Saver as a great way to cut utility bills. So far, the service has shown Illinois families how to save an average of about $200 a year. It’s also the only online service of its kind that in effect pays consumers, through a rewards program, for documented reductions in their ComEd bills. Carol Stream residents who sign up for CUB Energy Saver get mailed a free money-saving Compact Fluorescent Light (CFL) bulb and qualify for periodic drawings to win a month of free electricity. CUB also will give the village five CFLs for every resident who signs up for CUB Energy Saver, up to 10,000 bulbs. Plus, the Carol Stream household that saves the most electricity through CUB Energy Saver by the end of 2010 will win up to 50 CFLs plus a month of free power. *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. 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. Tweet |