Winter may be over, but the pain of the polar vortex may soon show up on your energy bill. Alternative power supplier FirstEnergy intends to bill customers a one-time June surcharge to recover unexpectedly high costs incurred during the polar vortex, Crain’s Chicago Business reported. Ninety-eight of the 180 communities…...
Chicago Power Deal
The City of Chicago recently negotiated a new rate with Integrys Energy to fulfill the last 12 months of a 28-month municipal aggregation deal. The bad news for consumers: rates are going up. The less-bad news: rates are going up across the board for electricity in June, regardless of your supplier–and most…...
Municipal aggregation referenda results
Residents in 82 communities or counties have voted on whether they want local leaders to negotiate their power prices with ComEd or Ameren competitors. Here’s an example of the referendum: Shall the (Name of county/municipality) have the authority to arrange for the supply of electricity for its residential and small…...
Big vote: 3 things you should know about electric aggregation
On Tuesday residents in some 80 communities or counties will vote on whether they want local leaders to negotiate their power prices with ComEd or Ameren competitors. (See this great chart the Illinois Commerce Commission (ICC) put together.) The referendum will look something like this: Shall the (Name of county/municipality)…...
Results are in…
We asked Tuesday what you thought of Comcast’s $45.2 billion plan to buy out Time Warner Cable, which would mark the acquisition of the second largest cable/Internet company by the first largest. The results are pretty conclusive: survey respondents do not think the merger will be good for consumers– at…...
Sign of things to come? Supplier wants out of community power deal
In an unsettling development in the electric market, an alternative power supplier wants to renegotiate the low price it secured for a Chicago suburb through July of 2015. Crain’s Chicago Business reporter Steve Daniels broke the news recently: Nordic Energy Services says the “polar vortex” winter jacked up its market…...
CUB Survey: To merge or not to merge?
Comcast, the largest cable/Internet provider in the country, recently announced plans to take over Time Warner Cable, the second largest provider, for $45.2 billion–pending approval from the Department of Justice and the Federal Communications Commission. Opponents of the deal maintain that it could seriously compromise competition, net neutrality, and customer…...
We’re #1!
The U.S. Green Building Council (USGBC) recently named Illinois the top state for LEED certification—the most widely recognized green building rating system—in 2013! The USGBC ranks states based on LEED-certified buildings per capita. With 171 green building projects certified in 2013 and 29,415,284 square feet of energy-efficient, environmentally-friendly space, Illinois…...
Ask FERC to investigate winter energy prices
What’s going on with energy prices this winter? That’s a question CUB wants answered, and we’re asking for your help. Send a message to the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) to investigate the root causes behind this winter’s electric and natural gas price spikes. Power and gas prices skyrocketed in…...
