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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.…...

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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…...

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CUB Q&A with new Executive Director Sarah Moskowitz

After more than two decades of consumer advocacy work at CUB, Sarah Moskowitz has been named executive director of the utility watchdog group. Read our Q&A with Sarah.  Q: As you become executive director, what’s your vision for CUB? A: I want to continue the legacy of fighting for consumers…...

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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…...

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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…...

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CUB’s guy in Springfield thanks consumers for their involvement

By: Bryan McDaniel CUB Director of Governmental Affairs Given all the action on energy legislation in the General Assembly over the last few years, 2023 proved a little quieter, until the end of session when Ameren muscled through a proposal to give themselves a monopoly over transmission lines in their…...

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June gas prices are here, and we’re left scratching our heads

Illinois utilities have filed their June gas prices with the Illinois Commerce Commission (ICC) and all look in line with May’s prices except for one whopping difference from Liberty Utilities. The price from that utility shot up from about 69 cents a therm to nearly 95 cents a therm. But…...

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Legal update: CUB testimony on record rate hikes urges $1.6 billion in reductions

By: Eric DeBellis General Counsel CUB’s legal team has been working nonstop the past month, filing expert testimony with state regulators to oppose a record six utility rate hikes, exposing the proposed increases as unjust and unreasonable and urging state regulators to cut them by a combined total of at…...

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CUB testimony recommends $914 million reduction in ComEd rate-hike request

Commonwealth Edison’s proposed four-year electric rate hike should be cut by at least $914.5 million, or more than 60 percent, the Citizens Utility Board (CUB) said Tuesday, citing expert testimony it filed in the rate case. CUB Executive Director David Kolata said the watchdog expects to support additional reductions uncovered by the Illinois…...

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Saving energy and money at home– the renter’s edition

By: Kate Shonk Sustainable Communities Liason The summer cooling season is upon us, and at CUB we’re here to help all Illinoisans save energy and money. For consumers who rent their homes, it can be hard to have control over their building’s efficiency measures–but you still have options. Even if…...

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