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Take Action: Energy Star on the chopping block

The White House has released its official budget plan, and it calls for eliminating funding for Energy Star—an efficiency program that has cut utility bills by $430 billion. The good news: You can help win this battle by putting pressure on Congress—where there’s already bipartisan support for efficiency. For example, Alaska…...

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Do we REALLY want AT&T to determine IL’s telecom future?

Update: The AT&T bill CUB and other consumer advocates have fought against for months has passed the Illinois Senate. So now the fight moves to the Illinois House.   The legislation would allow AT&T to dictate our telecom future, and it would open the door for the phone giant to strip Illinois’…...

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ComEd’s summer power rate is going up 9%

People have been calling CUB wanting to know what ComEd’s new summer power price will be. We now know! Crain’s Chicago Business was the first to report that the price is: 6.892 cents/kilowatt-hour (kWh) What you need to know: *If you are a ComEd supply customer—meaning if you are NOT…...

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So what the heck is a green plan?

At CUB we get a lot of calls from consumers who have questions about renewable energy plans that get pitched to them by alternative suppliers. These “green plans” are a legitimate choice, but some people have complained about exorbitant rates. If you’re shopping in the market, you should have all…...

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Making headlines: The fight against AT&T’s plan to end traditional home phone service

Check out the great coverage we garnered for the “Save Our Service” (SOS) Campaign against AT&T’s plan to end traditional home phone service. And, if you haven’t already, please make sure to send a message to your state legislators asking them to say NO to AT&T:     NBC 5, Chicago…...

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Big victories so far in 2017

The year is young, but thanks to the support of Illinois residents, CUB’s legal team has notched some nice consumer victories in the first few months of 2017. ComEd rate cut!  In March, CUB helped secure a $17 million rate cut for ComEd customers, after a portion of a rate…...

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Don’t get HOT over your AC bill

Illinois households burn an average of $2,693 a year on energy bills, according to the federal Energy Information Administration, and half of that goes into heating and cooling. As summer approaches, it’s time to start thinking how to keep air conditioning bills from going through the roof. Repair or replace?…...

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Budget cuts = higher utility bills

BREAKING: An initial budget plan from the White House calls for costly cuts that will lead to higher utility bills. (ACT NOW!) These are among a long list of programs targeted for elimination: Energy Star: Provides assistance for energy efficiency programs. Low Income Home Energy Assistance Program (LIHEAP): Assists low-income families with heating…...

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Nicor wants a $208.5 million rate hike

BREAKING: Nicor Gas has filed for a $208.5 million rate hike. In a statement CUB said: Nicor Gas’ parent, Southern Company, made more than $2 billion in profits in 2016, so if the gas utility wants an increase it will have to prove that it needs one. CUB will give Nicor’s…...

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Take action: Efficiency on the chopping block

CUB travels across Illinois, and we find that almost everyone supports energy efficiency—because it’s THE BEST WAY to lower utility bills. That’s why we’re asking you to send a message to Congress and the White House to protect efficiency. We were concerned a month ago when the American Council for an Energy-Efficient…...

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