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Electric bills

Time to get “real” about our power bills

One surprising fact that Illinois consumers learn at CUB events is that power prices are reasonable, well, most of the time. That’s not an easy sell to people who are sick of paying higher power bills month after month. A big part of the problem is that most of us are…...

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Illinois’ most hated bill: Cable gets the nod!

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,…...

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Report: ComEd parent says no to Illinois nuke bailout

According to a published report, ComEd-parent Exelon says it will NOT seek a state bailout of its nuclear power plants. (CUB Executive Director David Kolata had earlier described a full-fledged bailout as “radioactive” for consumer pocketbooks.) But the news is tinged with uncertainty, since consumer advocates wonder if the door…...

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What’s your worst utility bill?

2014 has already been a rough year for consumers.  Natural gas price spikes.  Brutal electric rate-hike requests.  Ominous cable mergers.  It’s enough to tear your hair out! CUB is ready to crown Illinois’ most hated bill, and needs your input.  What’s your biggest utility bill headache: Electric? Gas? Phone? Cable? Vote by noon…...

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CUB’s Earth Day Giveaway has a winner!

Congratulations to Sarah, the winner of CUB’s Earth Day Giveaway! She’s just won $25 off her next utility bill as well as an energy efficiency kit: an LED, a smart power strip, and a Kill A Watt. Runner-up winners were Nancy and Mary-Jo. Each will receive an LED bulb. Congrats! Sarah,…...

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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…...

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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…...

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Exelon’s ‘radioactive’ bailout plan?

The electricity market has been very good to ComEd-parent Exelon over the last decade, helping the company reap more than $21 billion in profits thanks to high power prices and its fleet of nuclear power plants. But times have changed: Wholesale prices have fallen, thanks to a surge in natural…...

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“She’s phenomenal!”

We received a call recently from a consumer ecstatic over the savings she discovered after speaking with one of our staffers at a utility bill clinic in Elmhurst. Theresia, of Wood Dale, learned how to shave $53.10 per month off her bills, thanks to guidance from CUB Environmental Outreach Coordinator Laura Goldberg.…...

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Drumroll please…

More than 400 CUB supporters voted this week in our 30th Anniversary Cartoon Contest to pick their favorite artwork over the years.  The results are in, and the winning CUB cartoon is…. (Guess you all are fed up with those tedious customer service lines!) We are also happy to announce our grand…...

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