The results are in from our survey on Illinois’ most hated bill. It’s cable, but judging by the survey results there’s plenty of bill-hate to go around. 1) Cable: 627 votes, 35.8 percent 2) Natural Gas: 461 votes, 26.4 percent 3) Electric: 296 votes, 16.9 percent 4) Phone: 240 votes,…...
Brutal April: Ameren, ComEd ask for $481 M in electric rate hikes
We knew these rate-hike requests were coming, but they still hurt. In April, ComEd and Ameren have asked for a total of $481 million in rate hikes, which would take effect in January 2015. Here’s CUB’s statement: “This month, Ameren and ComEd have filed for $481 million in electric rate hikes—about…...
You’ll need an aspirin for these headaches
At CUB, we couldn’t do the work we do—saving individual consumers hundreds of dollars on their utility bills, advocating for consumer protections in Springfield, and fighting rate-hike hungry energy companies—without support and input from our members. That’s why we sent a survey out last November asking you to rate your…...
Put up your dukes: Time to take on rate hikes
In 2014, CUB is fighting more than half-a-billion dollars in rate-hike battles from ComEd, Ameren, Peoples Gas and North Shore Gas (see the chart below). In response, we’ve established an emergency Consumer Defense Fund and we have a challenge for you: Help us raise $50,000 by April 30th to cover…...
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…...
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…...
