Illinois law allows municipalities and counties to purchase electricity on behalf of residential and small-business utility customers living within their borders. This is called municipal aggregation. This is a list of about 600 community power deals in Illinois, according to PlugInIllinois.0rg, the state of Illinois’ electricity choice website. (Communities are…...
Constellation to customers: Your electric rates are going UP
Residents in several towns that have community power deals with Constellation are getting letters informing them that the price they pay for electricity is going up because of a “change in law.” Let CUB explain: What’s happening? Under Illinois law, communities can enter into “municipal aggregation” deals with alternative electric companies…...
Big Mistake: Spark Energy sends erroneous letters to suburban consumers
CUB wants to set the record straight about erroneous information Spark Energy has mailed to some Chicago-area residents. The Journal & Topics Newspapers reported that Buffalo Grove put out a news release about the alternative electricity supplier’s “false aggregation notice.” And Arlington Heights resident and CUB Litigation Director Julie Soderna…...
Chicagoans return to ComEd this fall
The City of Chicago has decided to end its two-year power deal with Integrys Energy Services—the largest of its kind in the country—after determining that residents would no longer save on their electric bills. Customers will return to ComEd, the regulated utility, starting September 2015. The City’s deal expires in May 2015, but…...
Special Report: Is your community power deal still best for you?
Once, municipal aggregation—when community leaders negotiate power prices on behalf of residents–was a sure bet for electricity savings. Not any more. “Although it’s still possible to save money with electric competition, the era of easy savings is over in Illinois,” CUB Executive Director David Kolata says in CUB’s special report today. Kolata advises consumers…...
Updates to Chicago Power Calculator
CUB is hosting a news conference today to announce updates to the Chicago Power Deal Calculator in time for changing October electric rates. CUB launched the calculator this summer to help Chicago residents decide if they are better off staying with the City’s municipal aggregation deal with Integrys Energy Services or switching to…...
Dolton’s high electricity rates, and 3 questions you should ask about your own town’s power deal
Dolton residents have been paying the highest electric rates in Illinois the last few months, thanks to the community’s “municipal aggregation” deal. Aggregation–when local leaders negotiate power prices with alternative suppliers on behalf of a community’s residents–was once a sure bet. Some communities secured a price that was nearly 50…...
Update to Chicago Power Deal Calculator
CUB introduced the Chicago Power Deal Calculator in June to help you decide if the City’s deal with Integrys Energy Services was the right choice for you over the summer. Integrys recently announced rates for October 2014 through May 2015, and CUB has updated its calculator to help you determine whether…...
Integrys Deal Changes
The City of Chicago announced that it has renegotiated its electricity deal with Integrys Energy Services after growing concern among consumers that they might be better off returning to ComEd for their electricity supply. The new deal splits Chicago households into 10 different “tiers” with accompanying rates that are intended to save consumers money and…...
