Lisle Elsbury, a business owner from Utica, received a call from “Ameren.” He was told that his power-bill payment didn’t go through and that he needed to make a quick payment to avoid service shut off. Elsbury didn’t buy it. He had recently paid his utility bill so he knew it…...
Double trouble: Glitch leads to bigger Nicor bills for thousands
The Bloomington Pantagraph reports that some 7,000 Nicor Gas customers on automatic payment plants were mistakenly charged double from June 13-15. Do you have your Nicor bill paid automatically out of your bank account? The gas utility recommends checking your bank account or calling Nicor, at 1-888-642-6748. Those who incurred bank…...
Tell the ICC: Investigate the Illinois Electric Market
News from Illinois’ electric market hasn’t been great lately. CUB has seen an uptick in complaints from consumers who have encountered skyrocketing rates (up to six times the rate of the regulated utility!), misleading marketing, confusing offers and unpredictable pricing from alternative suppliers. It’s time to get to the bottom…...
Are you paying what you think for electricity?
ComEd’s June 1 electricity supply rate jumped to about 7.6 cents per kilowatt-hour (kWh). But there’s a wrinkle: This month ComEd supply customers are actually only paying a rate of about 7.1 cents per kWh. Wait, huh? The difference is due to a change in the “Purchased Electricity Adjustment” (PEA). That’s a credit…...
Breaking: CUB, City of Chicago call for probe of Illinois electric market
Just four weeks ago, when CUB released a report on Illinois’ electricity market, we warned consumers about bad power deals. Today, CUB and the City of Chicago took another step forward to reform the market. CUB and the City today filed a petition asking the Illinois Commerce Commission (ICC) to launch…...
5 security tips for your cell phone
With maps, music, cameras, web browsing, and email capabilities, owning a cell phone can make you feel pretty invincible. But did you know that your mobile phone can also leave you vulnerable to scary viruses and identity theft? When we think “Internet security,” our thoughts often don’t stray from our…...
Fight the hikes
The utilities are at it again–asking for even more of your hard earned money. ComEd is requesting a $275 million rate hike and Ameren is asking for a $206 million increase. These increases would represent a 12 percent and 29 percent jump in electric rates, respectively. That’s just unacceptable. That’s why we’re…...
