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Checklist: What Everyone Should Know About Municipal Aggregation

What price is the supplier offering and how does it compare with the utility’s price? While it is a basic question, it is the key question for consumers: Will I save money with municipal aggregation? Ask community leaders to be clear about the price being offered and match it up…...

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Does your community have a power deal?

Illinois law allows municipalities and counties to purchase electricity on behalf of residential and small-business utility customers living within their borders. This is called municipal aggregation. This is a list of about 600 community power deals in Illinois, according to PlugInIllinois.0rg, the state of Illinois’ electricity choice website. (Communities are…...

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Move to Miami? Here’s what you do to battle the cold!

We were overwhelmed with responses to our October poll asking people to share their best winter efficiency tip. We randomly selected one respondent–Jack, from Evanston–to win $100. His tip turned out to be one of the most unique out of the 200+ responses we received. Jack said he has a “long,…...

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Tell ICC: Lower Ameren’s customer charge

We’ve sent out an action alert to Ameren Illinois customers, warning them about the company’s proposal to raise their electric customer charge by about 9 percent. This is a change in rate design, NOT a rate hike. That means the company isn’t going to make more money—it just wants to…...

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Sign CUB petition about AT&T-Time Warner merger

This week, CUB is asking Illinois consumers to sign our petition expressing concerns about AT&T’s push to buy Time Warner for $85.4 billion. The blockbuster deal, which will be subject to a Justice Department review, joins media giant Time Warner (owner of HBO, CNN and Warner Bros. Studio) with AT&T, the…...

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CUB changes logo to red and blue for big World Series weekend

In honor of this historic World Series weekend at Wrigley Field, the Citizens Utility Board (CUB) is changing its logo colors to the Chicago Cubs’ red and blue.  Since these are the first World Series games played at the Friendly Confines since 1945 (a heart-breaking loss to the Detroit Tigers…...

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Breaking: FCC passes unprecedented Internet privacy rules

Big news! The Washington Post reports: “Federal regulators have approved unprecedented new rules to ensure broadband providers do not abuse their customers’ app usage and browsing history, mobile location data and other sensitive personal information generated while using the Internet.” Read the full article here. Thank you to more than 4,500 CUB Action Network members who…...

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Consumer alert: Prosecutors say man posed as meter reader to commit murder

A man accused of posing as a meter reader to commit murder highlights the importance of following a few precautions when somebody claiming to be from the utility knocks on your door. Just days before Willie Bell, of Chicago, shot a romantic rival, he bought a workman’s vest and helmet,…...

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CUB pushes cutting-edge “methane mapping” to identify gas leaks

State regulators should require Peoples Gas to use a cutting-edge technology called “methane mapping” to locate Chicago’s leakiest gas pipes, according to expert testimony filed by CUB. CUB is urging Chicagoans to send a message to state regulators in favor of methane mapping as a way to improve the utility’s pipeline replacement…...

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How low should you set your thermostat?

If you live in a household with multiple people, a couple degrees on the thermostat could spark the biggest arguments. So, let’s settle it once and for all: Where should you set your home’s temperature? The Department of Energy says setting your thermostat back 7-10 degrees from its normal setting for eight hours…...

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