Alternative electric supplier Star Energy Partners LLC will pay a $300,000 settlement for alleged misleading marketing practices and agreed to stop pitching its products or enrolling customers in Illinois for two years. The Illinois Commerce Commission (ICC) approved the settlement, which was negotiated by consumer advocates, including utility watchdog Citizens…...
CUB, other advocates race against clock: General Assembly tries one more time to pass strong clean energy bill
UPDATE: Early this morning, the Illinois Senate passed comprehensive clean energy legislation (Senate Bill 18) and sent it to the state House of Representatives. (The vote was 39-16-2.) That came after days of negotiations and two hearings by the Senate Committee on Energy and Public Utilities. While there is broad agreement…...
New crisis program to provide water bill assistance
Help is on the way for thousands of Illinois households struggling with their water and wastewater bills during the pandemic. The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services has created the Low Income Household Water Assistance Program (LIHWAP) as a two-year crisis program providing benefits for water customers in need…...
Chicago resident wins thermostat quiz
Congratulations to Carol of Chicago for winning CUB’s Thermostat Quiz! She was randomly selected out of hundreds of participants to win $100. “CUB is my go-to organization for information and savings on many fronts—cell phone, cutting cable, etc. I follow [their] legislative work on utilities and energy. We need [them],”…...
A no-cost CUB service just for you: Free utility-bill analysis
Are you paying too much with an alternative supplier? Want to know about efficiency programs that can help you save money? Do you just need some reassurance that nothing’s wrong with your bill? You’re in luck; we’ve created a free CUB service to help Illinois consumers during the pandemic: remote…...
Why we urge Illinois to pass strong energy legislation
The consumer watchdog Citizens Utility Board, or CUB, is fighting to get a comprehensive, equitable energy bill passed in Illinois. A strong, pro-consumer energy bill would: Launch a responsible plan to fight climate change and work toward 100 percent clean energy by 2045. (This is an urgent need for our…...
Working for historic energy legislation in Springfield
Negotiations to pass legislation that would secure clean, affordable energy for Illinois and hold utilities accountable have been extended in Springfield, and at press time, negotiators were hopeful a strong bill could be passed this year, if not before the end of the summer. “I want to thank the CUB…...
