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Energy

FERC launches probe of Central, Southern IL power market

Federal regulators have listened to Attorney General Lisa Madigan and more than 3,000 CUB Action Network members who called for an investigation of the electricity market in Central and Southern Illinois after consumers were hit with a 30 percent price spike. Here are the developments since CUB held a media…...

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Beat the Chill: 8 Ways to Prepare Your Home For Winter

By: Samantha Vercellino Don’t let the unusually warm weather the past two weeks fool you. October marks the opening of the winter heating season. Jack Frost will be at your doorstep soon, which means there’s not much time left to get your home ready before the cold hits. Follow CUB’s…...

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So what the heck is a green plan?

Crain’s Chicago Business has shined a spotlight on a “green” plan offered by Ethical Electric, which has been CUB’s biggest source of questions this year among dozens of alternative electric and gas suppliers. A direct mail piece by Ethical is short on detail on the plan’s actual cost, and how it…...

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Big Exelon announcement opens the door for Illinois Clean Jobs Bill

Ending months of speculation about the fate of its Quad Cities and Byron nuclear power plants, ComEd-parent Exelon announced today that it would put off a decision about those plants for another year. As consumers brace for higher power bills due to recent electricity auctions, this development provides a unique opportunity to…...

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CUB staffer teaches her brother that being efficient pays

By Samantha Vercellino For years, Atukwe Newell listened to his younger sister (and CUB Staffer) Yami Newell, talk about the benefits of being energy efficient. But he wasn’t sold. Now he’s biting his tongue and singing his sister’s praises after she helped him cut his electricity usage about 50 percent…...

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Give your AC a helping hand during heat waves

Twenty years ago, I was struggling through the infamous 1995 heatwave…by cuddling with frozen vegetables. As a cub reporter for The Associated Press in Milwaukee, I spent my days (July 11-27, 1995) helping to record a heart-breaking toll: 85 heat-related deaths in Milwaukee, another 465 in Chicago. My nights were…...

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June 1: The day a 30% increase in power prices took hold in Central, Southern IL

The fight against a 30 percent increase in power prices is heating up, just as the hike takes hold in Central and Southern Illinois. Here are the latest developments: The new prices took effect on June 1: 5.974 cents per kWh (zone 1) 5.911 cents per kWh (zone 2) 5.966…...

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Editorial roundup: the battle to protect electric customers in Springfield

Springfield is abuzz with two very different pieces of energy legislation, one that could help electric customers and another that could hurt them. One is  the Illinois Clean Jobs bill (House Bill 2607/Senate Bill 1485), which would increase energy efficiency and renewable energy standards in Illinois.  A CUB analysis found that the…...

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Q&A about June 1 electric rate hikes in Central, Southern Illinois

Ameren customers, you could be in for a rate hike on June 1. Read this Q&A to get the latest details. What’s happening? Customers in Central and Southern Illinois who are paying Ameren Illinois’ electricity supply rates may see a significant increase in their power bills from June 1, 2015 through…...

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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…...

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