By: Citlali Dominguez So you just moved into your new apartment, and you’re having trouble reading your utility bills. Don’t panic, CUB is here to help! We’ll start with electricity! A simple way to understand your bill is, supply + delivery + taxes & fees = amount due. Supply, what…...
High-bill Alert: Consumers face multiple electric/gas rate hikes—so who’s cashing in?
Special report: Illinois consumers in 2025 are being threatened with rate hikes on both sides of the bill—supply and delivery—as big energy companies and utilities push for windfall profits. Energy Price Spikes In April alone, most Illinois utilities saw gas prices jump by up to 104 percent, compared to last…...
CUB Q&A: The Low-Income Discount Rate (LIDR) program
In November of 2023, the Illinois Commerce Commission (ICC) ordered the major Illinois gas utilities to launch the state’s first-ever income-based program that provides gas-bill discounts for eligible customers. The Low-Income Discount Rate (LIDR) program, which went into effect on Oct. 1, 2024, was advocated for by Legal Action Chicago,…...
CUB’s monthly report on gas market volatility: October
Gas utilities file supply prices–called the Purchased Gas Adjustment (PGA)–each month with the Illinois Commerce Commission (ICC). Here’s what CUB uncovered in our review of prices in October, the first month of the winter heating season. Compared with last month, five of 9 major utilities are charging prices that are…...
CUB’s monthly report on gas market volatility: September
Gas utilities file supply prices–called the Purchased Gas Adjustment (PGA)–each month with the Illinois Commerce Commission (ICC). Here’s what CUB uncovered in our review of September prices: Compared with last month, seven of 9 major utilities are charging prices that are lower, ranging from 1 percent (MidAmerican Energy) to 38…...
CUB’s monthly report on gas volatility: July 2024
Most gas utilities are charging higher supply prices, compared with last month and last year, according to CUB’s review of pricing information filed with the Illinois Commerce Commission (ICC). Gas utilities file supply prices–called the Purchased Gas Adjustment (PGA)–each month with the ICC. Here’s a rundown of what we found.…...
CUB’s monthly report on gas volatility: June 2024
Gas utilities file supply prices–called the Purchased Gas Adjustment (PGA)–each month with the Illinois Commerce Commission (ICC). Here’s what we uncovered in our review of June prices. Compared with last month, six major utilities are charging prices that are higher, ranging from about 2 percent (Ameren) to 65 percent (Mr. Carmel).…...
CUB’s monthly report on gas volatility: May 2024
Gas prices are lower than they were a year ago for most customers in the Chicago region, thankfully, but five utilities from across the state saw increases ranging from 9 percent to 97 percent from last May, according to CUB’s review of Illinois’ gas market. Gas utilities file supply prices–called…...
October gas prices way down from last year–hoping for no prices spikes in the near future
As Illinois enters the first month of the winter heating season, October gas prices continue the trend of being significantly lower than the last two years, with some glaring examples of the volatility that makes consumers so uneasy. Gas utilities file supply prices–called the Purchased Gas Adjustment (PGA)–each month with…...
Check out July gas prices–more head-scratching at CUB
Illinois utilities have filed their July gas prices with the Illinois Commerce Commission (ICC) and they’re fairly consistent with what we saw in June. One big exception: Consumers Gas has its prices rising 185 percent in just one month. As we reported in June, the volatility of the gas market often…...
