It’s the last day for Ameren Illinois customers with new advanced electric meters to sign up for a no-cost program that rewards them with bill credits for delaying heavy power usage on certain days. To sign up for Ameren’s Peak Time Rewards program, visit PeakTimeRewards.com or call 1-844-787-7874. Qualifying customers who…...
Check your Comcast bill: Are you paying a “digital adapter” fee?
Every cable bill these days has add-on fees that allow companies to raise your bills without increasing the advertised rate of your TV package. For Comcast customers, one of those charges, called the “digital adapter” fee, has increased in 2017—from $3.99/month to $5.99/month. So, what is the fee supposed to…...
Fight electric price-gouging: Support HB 3038
The Citizens Utility Board (CUB) needs your help urging state legislators to pass a bill that shady electric suppliers don’t want. This bill combats a major problem in Illinois: electricity suppliers that price-gouge customers with bad deals. (We’ve seen customers paying up to five times the utility rate—sad.) The bill,…...
CUB featured on CBS 2
CUB was featured on Chicago’s CBS 2 last night warning consumers in ComEd territory that they could see a marketing barrage from alternative electricity suppliers over the next year. The consumer watchdog told reporter Dorothy Tucker that more than 100 communities have contracts with alternative electricity suppliers expiring over the next six…...
Show some love for landlines
The largest provider of telephone service in America will break the hearts of millions of Illinoisans if its plan to kill traditional home phone service is approved by state legislators. This year the Illinois Telecommunications Act—important legislation that protects consumer rights—is up for review, and AT&T wants its dismantled. The…...
Hot tip: ComEd’s Hourly Pricing program might be right for you!
More than a million Illinois consumers are with alternative suppliers, but CUB would like to alert people to yet another choice: Commonwealth Edison’s Hourly Pricing program. The program lets customers take advantage of hourly market-based electricity rates, which tend to be lower during nights and weekends. While not for everyone, thousands of…...
Gas prices are up–but don’t fall for these myths
Chicago-area natural gas prices this month are up 41-51 percent compared with last February–but don’t assume you’ll find better deals with an unregulated gas supplier. The most notable February increase is for Nicor Gas customers, who will see a 52 percent jump since last year, from 27 cents per therm to 41 cents…...
CUB featured on WGN-TV
WGN news last night ran a story that featured CUB’s petition to the Federal Communications Commission to ask for protections for cellphone data customers. The story profiles several customers receiving exorbitant bills for data overages, when they said they barely used their data at all. If you haven’t already, sign our…...
Victory! FERC rejects plan that could have sparked higher power bills in Central, Southern IL
CUB and other consumer advocates scored a major victory in Washington this week when federal regulators rejected a proposal that potentially would have cost Central and Southern Illinois consumers millions of dollars in higher power bills. On Thursday, the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) said no to a proposal by…...
