Telecommunications and utilities are both top concerns for Illinois residents, according to Illinois Attorney General Lisa Madigan’s annual top 10 list of consumer complaints. In 2014, the Attorney General’s office fielded 2,162 telecommunications-related complaints from consumers (No. 3 on the list), and 566 utility-related complaints (No. 10). Attorney General Madigan’s…...
Congrats to Illinois’ top energy savers!
Energy efficiency pays, and there’s nobody who knows that better than the top energy savers in the state! These Illinois cities and neighborhoods have registered the highest electricity savings through CUBEnergySaver.com, CUB’s free online service that can show a consumer how to cut power bills by hundreds of dollars a…...
How to save $650+ per year
Little steps can have a big impact on your pocketbook. Just ask Northbrook resident Tracey Becker, who slashed her power bills by 30 percent this year, in part by taking simple actions recommended by CUBEnergySaver.com, the Citizen Utility Board’s (CUB) free online service that builds a customized money-saving plan for your home.…...
New boost? No way!
Recent survey results reveal that CUB Action Network members aren’t too keen on an Exelon proposal that could increase power bills by $300 million per year. Or, as one feisty member put it: “They are already ripping off the public with high rates. Enough is enough!” Crain’s Chicago Business reported last week…...
CUB/EDF propose an IL first: Community Solar
Power to the people, right on. -John Lennon Mr. Lennon would have appreciated the “community solar” proposal that CUB and the Environmental Defense Fund (EDF) have made before the Illinois Commerce Commission (ICC). The proposal would smash barriers that have kept families from enjoying the benefits of renewable energy. Imagine entire neighborhoods getting…...
$153 million savings potential through CUB Energy Saver
As shopping for electricity suppliers becomes more expensive in Illinois, energy efficiency programs have emerged as the most reliable way to cut utility bills , according to a new CUB report. CUB held a press conference today to announce the findings: Energy efficiency has replaced electric competition as Illinois’ best bet for savings. …...
Exelon proposes surcharge that would jack up ComEd, Ameren bills by an estimated $300 million/year
For more than a year now, we’ve been hearing rumblings that ComEd-parent Exelon would push for some type of legislation that would boost revenue for its fleet of nuclear plants. Now, Illinois’ largest energy company has gone public. As Crain’s Chicago Business reported earlier this week, the giant wants to…...
Keeping up with $1.6 billion in Illinois rate-hike battles
Consumer wallets took a big hit in January, with four utility rate increases–and a new $53 million natural gas rate-hike request. On Jan. 1, ComEd and Ameren were awarded a combined electric rate increase of $436 million (about $232 million for ComEd and $204 for Ameren). CUB filed a “petition for…...
“Now is the time for Time-of-Use pricing”
Today, CUB and the Environmental Defense Fund (EDF) urged ComEd and Ameren to offer optional “Time-of-Use” pricing plans in Illinois. Such plans would reward energy-efficient customers for shifting electricity use away from “peak” hours–when demand is high, prices skyrocket, and power plants produce the most pollution. These plans would not only save individual…...
