The White House is on a campaign to bail out struggling fossil-fuel plants—and raise our electricity costs. There’s been a new development, and we’re asking you to send a message to Washington. What’s the update? The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has unveiled its proposal to replace the “Clean Power Plan.” (The Clean…...
CUB reviews EPA’s new Affordable Clean Energy rule
You’ve probably read the headlines about the Environmental Protection Agency’s proposed “Affordable Clean Energy” (ACE) rule. EPA moves to replace Clean Power Plan with modest carbon regulations Trump’s “Affordable Clean Energy” plan won’t save coal Cost of new E.P.A. coal rules: Up to 1,400 more deaths a year Here’s a…...
Why Chicago (and my brother) may face a heating-affordability crisis
By Jennifer Jones, CUB communications assistant When CUB Executive Director David Kolata recently described the Peoples Gas pipeline-replacement program as “a looming disaster” for Chicago gas bills it hit close to home, because my brother Milton has been a Chicagoan for the past decade. Last winter, he and other customers…...
Chicago’s looming disaster?
Did you know that last winter, you paid 80 percent more for natural gas service, on average, than your friends and relatives in the suburbs? And a big reason appears to be the mismanaged Peoples Gas pipe-replacement program. That’s what Crain’s Chicago Business reported in a recent story with this ominous…...
“Vampire power” could be to blame for your high electric bill
Turning your electronics off when you’re not using them seems like a simple way to cut down on your power bill. But that won’t stop “standby power,” a.k.a. vampire power. Think about your toaster, coffee maker, televisions, desktop computers and DVRs. You may leave these devices off for periods of time, but…...
Update: Fight robocall scams
We’ve got bad news about the ongoing battle against annoying telemarketing calls: Just last month U.S. homes were hit with a record number of robocalls: 4.1 billion, according to the call-blocking software firm YouMail. Many are scams: Consumer Reports says robo-fraudsters cost people an estimated $350 million in 2011 alone. In…...
Grim statistic: Record losses for supplier customers
The Illinois Commerce Commission (ICC) recently reported that over the past year, customers of alternative electric suppliers lost a record $227.6 million, compared with what they would have paid with the regulated utilities, ComEd or Ameren. The electric market is in need of reform—but energy giants, like Exelon and Vistra,…...
ICC report shows record losses with alternative electric suppliers
CUB warns consumers that enrolling with an alternative supplier could lead to paying higher electric and gas bills. In fact, losses at the hands of electric suppliers reached a record high of $227.6 million over the past year, according to the 2018 annual report of the Illinois Commerce Commission’s Office…...
