It’s never good news to report that an automatic rate hikes bill has passed the General Assembly, but it turns out the measure might already be on life support. Today, the Senate easily passed a bill to extend by two years, annual automatic rate hikes for ComEd and Ameren. That…...
News that hits us like a big lump of coal: Gas prices up by as much as 30% this December
By Samantha Vercellino As cold grips the Midwest in the opening days of December, we’re forced to welcome natural gas prices that are up to 30 percent higher. Major Illinois utilities are charging consumers 13-30 percent more to heat their homes this December compared to last. Peoples Gas showed the…...
Bracing for winter? CUB is!
At CUB we’re preparing for another busy winter. Are you ready? In the first half of 2014, CUB’s crew handled 2,507 complaints/inquiries from gas and electric customers reeling from polar vortex price spikes. That’s a 79 percent increase from the previous year. Despite this week’s burst of winter, the cold season isn’t…...
Special Report: Is your community power deal still best for you?
Once, municipal aggregation—when community leaders negotiate power prices on behalf of residents–was a sure bet for electricity savings. Not any more. “Although it’s still possible to save money with electric competition, the era of easy savings is over in Illinois,” CUB Executive Director David Kolata says in CUB’s special report today. Kolata advises consumers…...
Act now to avoid skyrocketing electric prices
We’ve been updating you on two developments that could have disastrous consequences for your power bills. Now’s the time to act to protect YOUR interests. ComEd customers: Tell Congress to fix a terrible court ruling that could increase your rates by 20% A recent federal court ruling stripped power grid operator PJM (the…...
Ameren customers, this could cost you $300 million!
Illinois coal plant owner Dynegy wants Ameren to join an East Coast power grid that could increase YOUR electricity rates—by $300 million. We blogged about this worrisome proposal last week, and now we want to hear what you have to say. In case you missed it, here’s some background on the situation: Dynegy…...
Dynegy’s plans could be bad news for Ameren power bills
The northern Illinois power market hasn’t been working too well for consumers these days. Now a major electricity generator in the state wants to impose the same type of market on Central and Southern Illinois–and that would be bad news for Ameren electric customers. How different is the power market…...
What is your gas utility charging in October?
Last winter’s polar vortex blast sparked a jump in Illinois natural gas prices that ranged from 9-80 percent. Now, about a half-year later, the gas prices are finally coming down to more normal levels–just as another winter approaches. We’ll keep an eye on the weather reports–it looks like it might not be as…...
