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Alternative suppliers

ICC report: Northern Illinoisans losing money with alternative electric suppliers

By Sagar Dommaraju Northern Illinois consumers with alternative electricity suppliers have lost $188.6 million over the last two years, according to the Illinois Commerce Commission (ICC) in an  annual electric competition report. The ICC’s Office of Retail Market Development said in its annual report that Illinois consumers with another supplier lost…...

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Join CUB’s fight for consumer protections from electric rip-offs!

As the weather gets warmer, CUB handles more reports of shady electricity sales pitches. But now, door-to-door peddlers have reached a new low. Earlier this summer, two people were arrested for trespassing after going door-to-door and trying to get residents of a Chicago apartment building to switch power suppliers. “Finally,” one customer…...

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CUB, NBC 5 Help a Couple Get a $1,500 Refund

By Sagar Dommaraju If you’re looking for a good reason to read your electricity and gas bills, just check out Vicki and Jim Pelton’s story.  The retired Ottawa couple overpaid by $1,500, until CUB and a TV station worked to get them a full refund after 17 months of inflated…...

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CUB, NBC 5 Responds team up to get $1,500 refund

CUB worked with NBC 5 Responds to get a $1,500 refund for a retired couple on a “monumentally bad” natural gas deal. Here’s an odd twist: They did NOT sign up for the plan. Their neighbor did. This story is another good reason to ALWAYS read your gas/electric bills. ...

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Lower summer power prices!

BREAKING NEWS—Electricity prices for ComEd and Ameren are dropping on June 1! Read CUB’s fact sheets to see the new prices for Ameren and ComEd.   Are you with an alternative supplier? Use CUB’s fact sheets to compare and check if you’re on a bad deal.  Of course with good…...

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Big victory over consumer confusion

Nicor Advanced Energy—an unregulated gas supplier that has sparked complaints from confused customers whose gas bills went up—will change its name and logo, under a settlement hailed as a consumer victory by Attorney General Lisa Madigan and CUB. The settlement is part of Atlanta-based Southern Co.’s proposed buyout of Nicor…...

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CUB’s proposal to videotape electric pitches featured on ABC 7

Check out this story by a member of ABC 7’s I-Team, Jason Knowles, on CUB’s proposal to videotape door-to-door pitches by alternative energy suppliers. (The sales people would videotape themselves making the pitch, but the customers would not be filmed.) We’re fighting the good fight! https://ow.ly/4mRBP9...

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Fight misleading marketing: Send a message to the ICC

Here’s a good example of how current Illinois law breeds misleading electric and gas marketing: One logo is for Illinois’ biggest regulated gas utility. The other is for an alternative supplier that has sparked hundreds of complaints/questions over the years—many from confused people who were stuck with high bills. A lot…...

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Special Report: 100+ Northern IL community power deals more expensive than ComEd

CUB told CBS 2 Chicago that more than 100 community power deals in Northern Illinois are charging a higher price than ComEd. It’s another sign of how much Illinois’ electricity market has changed in just a few years, and, as CBS 2 reported, it’s a good reason to look at…...

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Consumer to CUB: You saved my butt!

I received this report from a CUB member about an encounter he had with an alternative supplier–a company we haven’t heard of in the market. The consumer thanks everyone at CUB for “saving my butt.” Last Wednesday night (March 9th), shortly after dinner, my doorbell rang.  Very unusual for my doorbell…...

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