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Update on Ameren’s gas rate-hike request

Since we first reported on Ameren Illinois’ gas rate-hike request in January, the utility has adjusted its rate hike. Here’s a quick review:  Ameren’s Rate-hike Request: The company has adjusted the amount from about $134.4 million to $131.1 million. It’s not unusual for a rate-hike total to be adjusted as…...

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This Week: CUB Urges Ameren Customers to Attend ICC Forums in Springfield, East St. Louis to Protest Utility’s Push for 4th Gas Rate Hike in Recent Years

The Citizens Utility Board (CUB) is urging Ameren Illinois gas customers to attend Illinois Commerce Commission (ICC) public forums in Springfield on Wednesday and East St. Louis on Thursday to protest their utility’s proposal for a fourth excessive gas rate hike in less than a decade. Consumer advocates argue that…...

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CUB supporters react to ComEd bill increases: “I’m tired of being nickled and dimed to death”

When we first warned consumers that a 45-50 percent summer price spike was coming, Commonwealth Edison estimated the increase would be about 10-15 percent on bills, or about $10.60 a month on average over the next year. But a series of heat waves combined with the spike appears to have…...

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Grim milestone: CUB review of state data finds ComEd, Ameren residential customers have lost more than $2B to alternative power suppliers over last decade

Commonwealth Edison and Ameren Illinois residential customers have lost a combined total of more than $258 million over the last year and more than $2 billion since 2015 to alternative electricity suppliers, according to a CUB review of annual state reports. The watchdog called for state passage of additional consumer…...

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Enough Is Enough: Nicor Gas Customers to Use State Forum Thursday Night to Speak Out Against Utility’s Push for Record Rate Hike

Many Nicor Gas customers may not know that their utility is trying to hit them with the largest gas rate hike in Illinois history, but a state public forum Thursday night in Elgin is an opportunity to speak out against the company’s fifth rate-hike request in recent years. The Illinois…...

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CUB’s report on gas-market volatility: August

Gas prices for seven of Illinois’ 9 major utilities remained elevated compared with a year ago, led by Liberty Utilities, which is charging a supply price that is about 208 percent higher; Nicor Gas, which is charging a price about 44 percent higher; and Peoples Gas, with a price about…...

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CUB Q and A: Another capacity auction, more bad news–so what happened? 

By Clara Summers Manager, CUB’s Consumers for a Better Grid Campaign You may have seen a flurry of news about electric bill increases due to something called a “capacity auction.” Or worse, you opened your June ComEd bill and saw a sharp uptick. You can learn more about PJM’s capacity…...

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CUB’s money-saving events in August

CUB’s Outreach team travels across the state to staff free events giving consumers energy efficiency tips for their home, educating them on how clean energy can cut their utility bills and helping people protect themselves from scams and rip-offs.  As the hot summer drags on, CUB can help you learn…...

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CUB statement on FERC ordering PJM to make interconnection improvements

The following is a statement from Clara Summers, manager of the Citizens Utility Board’s Consumers for a Better Grid Campaign. (Read CUB’s full statement here.) We thank the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) for ordering PJM to take specific steps to finally update its interconnection queue rules to meet national…...

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