Far too many people are struggling to afford their utility bills, so it’s important to know the process for applying for the Low-Income Home Energy Assistance Program (LIHEAP). According to the Illinois Department of Commerce and Economic Opportunity (DCEO), the LIHEAP application period is October 1, 2024, to August 15,…...
CUB’s monthly report on gas market volatility: September
Gas utilities file supply prices–called the Purchased Gas Adjustment (PGA)–each month with the Illinois Commerce Commission (ICC). Here’s what CUB uncovered in our review of September prices: Compared with last month, seven of 9 major utilities are charging prices that are lower, ranging from 1 percent (MidAmerican Energy) to 38…...
CUB: ComEd, Ameren customers have lost $1.8B to alternative power suppliers since 2015; consumer group issues statewide warning against bad deals
Commonwealth Edison and Ameren Illinois customers who have chosen alternative electricity suppliers have lost a combined total of about $297 million over the last year and $1.8 billion since 2015, CUB says, citing annual state reports on electricity competition. While ComEd and Ameren deliver electricity to their customers over the…...
CUB Q&A: ‘Capacity’ price spike means ComEd supply price will shoot up in June 2025
A record price spike in a recent electricity “capacity auction” means the supply price for Commonwealth Edison will likely increase significantly in June of 2025. Read CUB’s Q&A. What happened? On Tuesday, July 30, power grid operator PJM Interconnection announced the results of its latest capacity auction (technically referred to…...
‘Stop corporate greed’: Private water customers pack public forums to protest high water bills, poor service and Aqua, Illinois American rate hikes
The Illinois Commerce Commission (ICC) held five public forums on proposals by the state’s two biggest private water companies to raise bills by up to nearly $30 a month, and the events reinforced something that CUB has known for years: Private water customers are fed up with rapidly escalating water…...
Op-Ed: Private water customers in Illinois are crying for help. Will the General Assembly listen?
By Sarah Moskowitz CUB Executive Director Hundreds of customers of Illinois’ largest private water utility packed an Illinois Commerce Commission public forum in Bolingbrook one recent summer night. They were fed up with how high their bills are now — and that Illinois American Water wanted to raise them by nearly…...
Solar Landscape: CUB’s evaluation of Solar Landscape’s community solar offer
This is an evaluation of Solar Landscape’s community solar offering. If you are not already familiar with community solar, we recommend reading CUB’s Introduction to Community Solar first. How will signing up for the Solar Landscape community solar offer affect my electric bill? Solar Landscape will look at your annual…...
