Major Illinois utilities have extended the moratorium on shut-offs for another month, until around September, according to a statement from state regulators. Ameren Illinois, Aqua Illinois, Consumer Gas, ComEd, Illinois American Water, Liberty, Nicor Gas, Peoples Gas, North Shore Gas and Utility Services of Illinois are among the utilities with extended moratoriums…...
Energy rip-offs have hit low-income communities hard, but here’s another reason the HEAT Act gives us hope
At CUB, we get reports that customers enrolled with alternative suppliers have been charged double or triple (or worse) for their electricity—and marketers have long preyed on the neighborhoods that can least afford to pay high power bills. That’s yet another reason we’re dedicated to making sure a new reform…...
Historic consumer protections: Urge the ICC to approve this COVID-19 relief plan
Illinois regulators this week will consider some of the strongest COVID-19 utility consumer protections in the country. Developed through weeks of discussion among consumer advocates and major utilities, this plan could serve as a national model to help utility customers struggling to pay their bills during the economic crisis. But…...
Consumer advocates fight for extended COVID-19 protections for utility customers
After a historic agreement between consumer advocates and Illinois’ major utilities, state regulators are now considering the most comprehensive COVID-19 utility relief measures in the country. This plan could serve as a national model for helping utility customers struggling to pay their bills during the worst economic crisis since the…...
4 Coronavirus headlines you might have missed: Shut-offs, Wi-Fi, scams, dirty cellphones
As Coronavirus continues to spread, headlines have been saturated with news about the disease, also known as COVID-19. CUB picked a few news stories from the bunch that are helpful for consumers’ pocketbooks and health. Leaders call on utilities to half shut-offs during public health crisis. Gov. J.B. Pritzker and…...
A message from CUB’s Executive Director: Responding to COVID-19
Dear Illinois consumers: Now that the World Health Organization has declared COVID-19 (also known as Coronavirus) a global pandemic, I want to let you know that the Citizens Utility Board (CUB) will continue to serve you through this public health crisis, while doing our part to limit this hazard from…...
CUB “helped save my company from bankruptcy” with $82,000 credit
Devin B. won’t ever forget the monster ComEd bills he feared would bankrupt his small business before it even started. In March, ComEd told him he had used 293,106 kilowatt-hours (kWh) of electricity. That’s about 2,400 times his typical usage. His bill, which usually hovered around $100, ballooned to $44,226.…...
More than 100 million consumers hit by Capital One hack
Yet another data breach has exposed the private data of more than one hundred million people, leaving them vulnerable to fraud. Credit card company Capital One went public on Monday with news that 106 million individuals had their data compromised, mostly from credit card applications between 2005 and early 2019.…...
