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gas bills

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,…...

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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…...

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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…...

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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.…...

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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).…...

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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…...

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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…...

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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…...

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Q&A: High natural gas bills in Illinois

Natural gas bills are at their highest level in years, and the two major reasons are: overly aggressive spending by gas utilities and skyrocketing supply prices. Read our Q&A to get the details. How expensive has this been for consumers?    People in Illinois who heat their homes with natural…...

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February’s natural gas prices: How much will you pay to heat your home?

A year after a deep freeze across the Southern United States sparked problems in the natural gas distribution system, Illinois consumers are still suffering under skyrocketing heating bills because of that extreme weather and other market problems.    The prices for major natural gas utilities in Illinois are as follows:  Ameren…...

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