[youtube=https://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=vtPk5IUbdH0] Electric Avenue, the 1982 hit by reggae artist Eddy Grant, has been voted the best energy song of all time by Illinois consumers. CUB’s month-long contest asked music-lovers and energy nerds alike to submit their favorite energy-themed song on Facebook for a chance to win a month of free…...
A great opportunity to cut your utility bills
Good news for Nicor and ComEd customers–through the end of August, you can get a home energy audit for just $49! The home energy assessments, which normally cost $99 through the joint Nicor/ComEd Home Energy Savings program, provide services which could cost up to $500 elsewhere. The program provides an…...
Should ceiling fan efficiency standards be strengthened?
There’s a new battle brewing in Washington, and the target may be hanging in your living room. The House of Representatives last month voted to withhold money from the Department of Energy that the agency would use to consider updated efficiency standards for ceiling fans. Originally enacted by Congress in…...
Crain’s Chicago Business: ComEd fell below outage standard in 2012
CUB’s eager to see ComEd launch “smart grid” improvements that benefit consumers, but the latest headlines show that tackling Illinois’ power grid problems won’t be easy. In 2011, the General Assembly allowed ComEd to increase its delivery rates over the next decade to pay for $2.6 billion in “smart grid” improvements to the…...
Hanover Park utility bill clinic: $132 per year in customer savings
CUB’s outreach team is always on the road, visiting cities, towns and villages across Illinois to hold clinics that show consumers how to save money on their utility bills. This week was no different–CUB staffers Laura Goldberg, Ivonne Hernandez and Yami Newell took to Hanover Park and showed consumers how…...
Win up to $900 of free electricity!
Presence Health is partnering with CUB in a contest encouraging Illinois consumers to go green and lower their utility bills. Here’s how it works: Community members and Presence Health employees can sign up for CUB Energy Saver—that’s CUB’s free bill-cutting service—as a member of any hospital’s energy-saving team. At the end of summer,…...
Where do our greenhouse gases come from?
This flow chart from research consultancy Ecofys breaks down man-made greenhouse gases worldwide by source and sector. (See a larger PDF version here.) A few takeaways: Homes use a lot of energy. Residential energy usage is responsible for 11 percent of the greenhouse gas pie, while public and commercial buildings eat up 7…...
