The following is a report from CUB General Counsel Eric DeBellis to Executive Director Sarah Moskowitz on major cases CUB’s Legal Team is tackling in 2026, including $571 million in rate cases before the Illinois Commerce Commission (ICC). If you are concerned about these rate hikes, please take action by signing…...
Consumer alert: Illinois utility bills cover millions in hidden expenses that advance the utilities’ agendas, but have zero consumer benefit
Many Illinois consumers have no idea that their electric, gas and water bills cover tens of millions of dollars in self-serving utility expenses that have zero consumer benefit, but advance the agendas of Illinois utilities and increase their political power, consumer advocates warned Wednesday, while delivering thousands of petitions to…...
CUB Q&A: community solar billing
CUB regularly receives questions about community solar billing, so we put together this Q&A. What is Community Solar? Community solar is a program for people who can’t put solar on their own homes. It allows consumers to save money on their electric bills from energy produced by large, offsite community…...
‘Utility Customer Refund’? Analyzing an alternative supplier deal
The Citizens Utility Board (CUB) has recently seen an influx of offers from SmartEnergy, an alternative energy supplier that advertises a $100 “utility customer refund.” At a time when far too many Illinois residents are struggling to afford their utility bills, this could be an attractive offer. But is it…...
CRGA Act signed into law: Big step forward, but there’s more work to do to lower power bills
The Clean and Reliable Grid Affordability (CRGA) Act was signed into law on Thursday–as tens of millions of electric customers in Illinois and across the nation grapple with spiking power prices. Gov. J.B. Pritzker, legislative leaders, government staffers and environmental and consumer advocates gathered at Joliet Junior College for the…...
CUB statement on ComEd’s $243 million reconciliation rate hike
The following is a statement from CUB Executive Director Sarah Moskowitz: We are pleased that state regulators knocked $25 million off of ComEd’s rate hike by weeding out wasteful and inappropriate spending–especially costs connected to fixing the utility’s error-prone billing system. ComEd customers shouldn’t have to pay for the utility’s…...
Consumers for a Better Grid’s 2025 Year In Review
It’s time for another annual reflection from CUB’s Consumers for a Better Grid Campaign. With millions of customers dealing with electricity price spikes, 2025 was a busy year advocating for consumers at PJM Interconnection and the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC). As part of that mission, the campaign held four…...
Executive Director’s 2025 Report: A Heartfelt Thanks
By Sarah Moskowitz, Executive Director, Citizens Utility Board Here is my report for 2025–CUB’s 41st year of consumer advocacy. I’m proud of how the CUB team served Illinois consumers in a tough year marked by a painful summer electricity price spike for ComEd and Ameren customers and rate-hike battles against…...
CUB applauds passage of the Clean and Reliable Grid Affordability (CRGA) Act
The following is a statement from Citizens Utility Board (CUB) Executive Director Sarah Moskowitz: The General Assembly’s passage of the Clean and Reliable Grid Affordability (CRGA) Act is a victory for Illinois consumers. Our escalating energy bills require solutions at the state, regional, and federal levels, so passing the CRGA…...
