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As Illinois consumers suffer through a cold, expensive winter, coalition urges Springfield to end abusive surcharge on heating bills

With heating bills skyrocketing across Illinois, a coalition of consumer advocates joined with key legislators on Monday to urge the Illinois General Assembly to eliminate a natural gas surcharge that has helped major utilities rapidly increase bills, plunging many families into crisis this winter.  At a news conference, AARP Illinois,…...

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Op-Ed: Here’s why our gas bills are skyrocketing

By David Kolata, CUB executive director CUB has been sounding the alarm for months about soaring natural gas bills, as we could be on the hook to pay hundreds of dollars more to heat our homes this winter. You can blame your high bills on two reasons: Skyrocketing natural gas…...

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Heating prices still painfully high, as January opens with a cold blast

As frigid weather descended upon Illinois in the new year, CUB staffers were busy answering calls from consumers wondering why their heating bills were so high. In January, the price per therm many consumers are paying for natural gas, also known as the Purchased Gas Adjustment, or PGA, is 41…...

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Take CUB’s utility bill survey—You could win $100!

2021 was a tough year for utility consumers with millions of dollars in rate hikes and skyrocketing natural gas prices. Please take a second and take our poll: What was your most expensive utility bill throughout last year? These surveys help us better understand what Illinois consumers are going through.…...

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Upcoming CUB events in January 2022

Happy New Year everyone! CUB looks forward to continuing the fight for consumer protections and clean, affordable energy in 2022.  One major way we do that is by staffing hundreds of free events that can help you improve energy efficiency at home and protect your bottom line. We hope to…...

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Upcoming CUB events in December 2021

Happy December, everyone; we’re officially in the final stretch of 2021. This year was highlighted by great victories (the passage of the Climate & Equitable Jobs Act) and great disappointments (millions in rate hikes for utilities). As consumer advocates, we’ll never give up—and that’s why we’ll continue putting on events…...

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CUB and DCEO remind residents to apply for $200 million in utility relief available now

The Illinois Department of Commerce and Economic Opportunity (DCEO) today reminded residents of utility relief available to low-income families throughout the state. Through Governor Pritzker’s Help Illinois Families program, DCEO has launched over $295 million in utility assistance programming available for low-income households across the state and is accepting applications…...

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A net neutral future awaits Senate confirmation hearings

Update as of 12/20/2021: The Senate voted 68 to 31 to confirm Jessica Rosenworcel’s re-appointment to the Federal Communications Commission on Dec. 7, making her the first female chair in the FCC history. Longtime net neutrality advocate Gigi Sohn, nominated for the fifth seat at the commission, has generated opposition…...

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CUB’s new money-saving kit

Below is a list of resources to help you protect yourself from scams, decode your electric bills and find ways to save. Watch this video about identifying alternative supplier ripoffs on your bills: ComEd and Ameren. Learn about the electric market and your options for electric supply: ComEd andAmeren. Your utility’s demand response…...

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Dear CUB members: Thank you

By Bryan McDaniel, CUB Director of Governmental Affairs Couldn’t have felt better to be back at an in-person Health and Information Fair in the Southwest Suburbs of Chicago this fall. To connect with people again on such a large scale was meaningful.  Thank you to the CUB members who approached…...

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