Our Mission...

• Fighting for utility customer interests in the courts and before the Illinois Commerce Commission.
• Staffing free events to help all Illinois consumers cut their utility bills.
• Answering a toll-free Consumer Hotline, 1-800-669-5556, to advocate for consumers with complaints against utilities.
• Producing groundbreaking research to help consumers fight climate change and save money on their energy bills.
• Fighting for clean, affordable energy for the entire state.

Illinois' top
consumer battles...

The first quarter of 2022 was marked by one of the most expensive winters in more than a decade. We held dozens of free, money-saving events and gave guidance to hundreds of consumers concerned about their energy costs. CUB also fought unnecessary gas utility spending and advocated for ComEd to give its customers a refund for its corruption scandal. We also worked to secure hundreds of millions of dollars in electric refunds for customers, thanks to the Climate & Equitable Jobs Act. And for the first time in CUB’s history, we released a comprehensive state-by state ranking of electric utility performance.

So far in 2022:

• We set up CUBHelpCenter.com as a resource for people concerned about skyrocketing heating bills in the most expensive winter in more than a decade.

• We’re fighting ComEd, which says it only owes customers a $21 million refund for its corruption scandal. We’re working to more than double the refund in a case before the Illinois Commerce Commission (ICC). Fight to double a ComEd refund.

• We’ve just won a major victory in Springfield against misleading marketing. Illinois Attorney General Kwame Raoul said:  “I would like to thank CUB for its partnership as we work to protect residents from high utility rates and unnecessary fees.” Also, we helped block Senate Bill 1104, a proposal pushed by the fossil fuel industry that could have undermined the Climate & Equitable Jobs Act (CEJA).

• We continue to fight in Springfield for a bill that would end the abusive “QIP” surcharge, which has helped send heating bills soaring this winter, and we’re working to give water customers a voice on privatization.

• Major development: We are working to get $400+ million in refunds to ComEd customers and $50+ million in refunds to Ameren customers, by implementing a provision of the Climate & Equitable Jobs Act (CEJA). Read about this important case.