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Natural Gas

How the Wisconsin Energy-Integrys deal benefits Chicago customers: (crickets)

The headline in Crain’s Chicago Business says it all: What’s the sale of Integrys do for Chicago? Not much Yesterday, Wisconsin Energy announced that it was buying Integrys, the parent company of Chicago-area utilities Peoples Gas and North Shore Gas, in a $9.1 billion deal. But for a company pulling…...

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Big deal! Peoples/North Shore parent to be gobbled up for $9 billion

Wisconsin Energy Corp announced this morning that it plans to purchase Integrys Energy Group, Inc.– parent company to Peoples Gas and North Shore Gas– for $9.1 billion.  The combined company will serve 4.3 million electric and gas customers across Illinois, Wisconsin, Michigan and Minnesota. The deal is set to close in…...

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Kick-start your summer with energy efficiency

Summer has (finally!) arrived and we can’t wait to hit the beach, visit the water park, take some road trips, and barbecue with friends and family! Need a little extra cash to make the most out of your summer?  CUB has compiled a list of energy efficiency incentives that will put some…...

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Illinois’ most hated bill: Cable gets the nod!

The results are in from our survey on Illinois’ most hated bill. It’s cable, but judging by the survey results there’s plenty of bill-hate to go around. 1) Cable: 627 votes, 35.8 percent 2) Natural Gas: 461 votes, 26.4 percent 3) Electric: 296 votes, 16.9 percent 4) Phone: 240 votes,…...

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Natural gas rates: What will you pay in May?

It’s a sad state of affairs when Chicago’s gas rates are down–but still at their highest May price this decade. It doesn’t appear that utilities have posted final May prices on their websites, so CUB scanned tariff filings on the Illinois Commerce Commission (ICC) website to come up with some…...

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What’s your worst utility bill?

2014 has already been a rough year for consumers.  Natural gas price spikes.  Brutal electric rate-hike requests.  Ominous cable mergers.  It’s enough to tear your hair out! CUB is ready to crown Illinois’ most hated bill, and needs your input.  What’s your biggest utility bill headache: Electric? Gas? Phone? Cable? Vote by noon…...

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Get the facts on natural gas prices

Jaws dropped as gas prices skyrocketed in the early months of 2014–as much as 150 percent for Peoples Gas customers. CUB is here to answer your collective “huh?” Our Facts on Natural Gas Prices  explains the forces behind gas prices, and the steps consumers can take to save money during these…...

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Would the real regulated gas company please stand up?

Annette Evans, consumer rights associate at CUB, recently received a call from a consumer whose gas bill had mysteriously skyrocketed to nearly $600.  After some sleuthing, Annette discovered the culprit: without her knowledge, the consumer had been signed up with Nicor Advanced Energy— an unregulated sister company of the utility…...

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Rip-off response

Earlier this week, we issued tips to protect yourself from bad deals in the natural gas market.  More than 1,800 of you responded to our accompanying survey, and about 56 percent of you said you had encountered a pitch from an alternative gas supplier. Here were some of your experiences: “The person…...

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Drumroll please…

More than 400 CUB supporters voted this week in our 30th Anniversary Cartoon Contest to pick their favorite artwork over the years.  The results are in, and the winning CUB cartoon is…. (Guess you all are fed up with those tedious customer service lines!) We are also happy to announce our grand…...

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