For years, CUB has claimed that it helped save consumers more than $10 billion by blocking rate hikes and securing refunds. Well, we were wrong.
The more accurate figure is $20 billion.
To commemorate CUB’s 30th anniversary, the watchdog updated the savings numbers and found, in fact, that the total figure is much higher. After months of research, correcting savings estimates from old cases and adding the impact of more recent cases, CUB discovered that it was being too conservative in evaluating its success.
Today, we presented the new figure to the Illinois Commerce Commission (ICC), which confirmed CUB’s findings.
“As we celebrate our 30th anniversary, it’s nice to get official recognition of all our hard work,” CUB Associate Director Pat Clark said. “Thank you to all the Illinois consumers who have supported us over the years.”
The 30 years of big victories listed below don’t include all the victories we’ve won for individual consumers among some 9,000 utility complaints we get each year, as well as the savings consumers have gained through our free online tools. Here’s the list:
Centel refund/rate cut, 1986: $2,000,000
Blocked Nicor Gas rate hike, secured refund, 1987: $40,000,000
Peoples/North Shore Gas rate cut/refund, 1987: $27,000,000
ComEd rate deal rejected, 1987: $1,320,000,000
Overturned ComEd rate hike, 1987: $245,000,000
Illinois Power rate deal blocked, 1988: $3,000,000,000
ComEd rate deal overturned, 1989: $750,000,000
ComEd rate case settlement, 1993: $1,679,000,000
Ameritech rate cut, 1994: $465,000,000
10-year rate cut under electric restructuring law, 1997: $6,288,124,185
ComEd customer assistance fund, 2000: $400,000
CILCO refund, 2001: $20,400,000
Ameritech merger savings settlement credit, 2002: $224,000,000
Verizon merger savings settlement credit, 2003: $139,686,512
Blocked ComEd/IP merger/rate-hike legislation, 2003: $2,000,000,000
SBC voicemail class action settlement, 2004: $40,000,000
Peoples Gas/Enron refund, 2006: $100,000,000
Cut ComEd rate hike, 2005: $262,455,000
Cut Peoples/North Shore Gas rate hike, 2007: $32,267,000
Cut Ameren electric rate hike, 2007: $58,342,000
Cut ComEd rate hike, 2007: $87,761,000
Ameren/ComEd refunds after power auction abolished, 2007: $1,001,000,000
Cut Nicor Gas rate hike,2008: $72,237,000
Cut Ameren gas/electric rate hike, 2009: $118,618,000
Cut Peoples/North Shore Gas rate hike, 2009: $58,717,000
Cut ComEd rate hike, 2010: $218,793,000
Illinois Power Agency procurement savings, 2009-11: $1,639,663,226
Cut Peoples/North Shore Gas rate hike, 2011: $61,504,000
Cut Peoples/North Shore Gas rate hike, 2012: $40,920,000
Nicor Gas refund, 2013: $72,149,519
Total savings: $20.065 billion
