It’s been a historic year so far, with Illinois utilities pushing for a record $2.9 billion in higher rates and a major transition at the Citizens Utility Board (CUB). Check out my mid-year report–and please consider a small contribution to support the work for clean, affordable energy. Summary: Major change…...
CUB’s Daily Herald Op-Ed: Private Water, Big Headaches
CUB Director of Governmental Affairs Bryan McDaniel recently penned an op-ed in the Daily Herald responding to Lake County’s water outage with private water utility Aqua Illinois: The recent Aqua Illinois water outage/boil order in Lake County is further evidence that private corporate monopolies are not the answer to our…...
Do you know about these Illinois solar programs?
Thanks to strong state (Climate and Equitable Jobs Act) and federal (Inflation Reduction Act) incentives, the money-saving benefits of solar power have never been more accessible to so many people in Illinois. #1 Want to install panels? Consider the Solar Switch group-buy program CUB and the nonprofit Midwest Renewable Energy…...
The time is now for electric cooperatives to empower rural Illinois communities
Co-Authors: Amanda Pankau, Prairie Rivers Network, Christine Nannicelli, Sierra Club Illinois, and Scott Allen, Citizens Utility Board The passage of the Inflation Reduction Act (IRA) has dramatically transformed the energy landscape for publicly owned electric cooperatives and municipal utilities across the country, offering game-changing access to clean energy tax credits…...
Regulators say NO to Peoples, Nicor Gas
The Illinois Commerce Commission (ICC) has ordered a $15.4 million refund for Peoples Gas customers and most recently a refund of more than $31 million for Nicor Gas customers, two votes that may signal a tougher stance towards utilities whose rampant spending has helped spark a heating-affordability crisis in Illinois.…...
Making A Difference: She said “no one at the utility company was listening”— but CUB did
CUB has helped save Illinois consumers more than $20 billion over the last four decades, but sometimes the most important consumer victory is just listening. Take Eleanor’s case. For two years, her October and November bills were around $285 and Nicor kept saying that’s what the meter read. They even…...
CUB Q&A: Peoria’s Power Deal
Ameren Illinois is the electric utility that serves Central and Southern Illinois. But while Ameren will always deliver the power to your home over its wires, under state law you can choose an alternative company to supply you with electricity. (That means a company other than Ameren will purchase electricity…...
Electrifying news: Utilities offer home rebates, discounts for moving from gas to electricity
By: Kate Shonk CUB Sustainable Communities Liason At almost every outreach event, CUB staff fields questions on electrification. Now more than ever, it’s clear consumers are curious about alternatives to gas, and now more than ever there are financial incentives to help them make that switch. Because electric supply can…...
