96-year-old Elizabeth Davis gets ripped off every time she turns on the lights. She and other customers of alternative electric suppliers have overpaid by $600 million in recent years, according to the Illinois Attorney General’s Office. That’s why I want to share this important news: State legislators just passed some of…...
The HEAT Act: One of the nation’s toughest consumer protection laws against gas and electric rip-offs
In a victory for consumers, the Illinois General Assembly has unanimously passed and the governor has signed one of the nation’s toughest consumer-protection laws to fight rip-offs peddled by alternative electric and gas suppliers. At the end of May, the Illinois General Assembly unanimously passed the Home Energy Affordability and…...
Update from the State Capitol: Fighting for cleaner energy and lower utility bills
This year alone, CUB Action Network members have sent more than 7,500 messages to Springfield in favor of good legislation and against bad bills—amazing! But we know tracking all these bills can get confusing. As we enter the last week of the General Assembly’s Spring Legislative Session, here’s a summary…...
Good news, for a change
It’s easy to get discouraged when talking about rate hikes and rip-offs. But here’s some good news: One of Illinois’ biggest newspapers praised the Clean Energy Jobs Act, which CUB has been fighting for in Springfield. Read the Chicago Sun-Times editorial. Please send a message to your legislators in favor of…...
Breaking: City Council hearing on Peoples Gas
CUB wants to alert you to an important event for Peoples Gas customers on Wednesday. We hope you can be there! Ald. George Cardenas’ Health & Environmental Protection Committee is holding a hearing on a growing problem in Chicago: soaring Peoples Gas bills due to the utility’s mismanaged pipeline replacement…...
Why we need a Clean Energy Jobs Act
By David Kolata, CUB Executive Director (Update: Since this column was written, the House Energy and Environment Committee voted to advance the Clean Energy Jobs Act, sponsored by State Rep. Ann Williams and State Sen. Cristina Castro [House Bill 3624/Senate Bill 2132]. The bill awaits a committee vote in the…...
How much does your phantom load affect your electric bill?
Phantom load–sometimes called “vampire power”–refers to home appliances still using energy even after you turn them off. So what impact does that have on your electric bill? About 10 percent of your energy costs come from wasted power. The National Resources Defense Council found phantom loads account for $19 billion…...
