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Natural gas takes the cake for worst bill

We received nearly 400 responses to our poll on the most expensive utility bill, and, unsurprisingly, natural gas takes the cake for the most dreaded bill, with 173 votes. Here’s what some consumers had to say about their gas bills: “This natural gas bill seems to be the only one…...

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10 burning questions (and answers) about the 2023 rate-hike barrage

As CUB and other consumer advocates challenge a record $2.9 billion in utility rate-hike requests, here are 10 things you should know about the rate hikes. 1) How much are the utilities asking for?  The rate hikes would impact more than 5 million customers across Illinois. The chart below shows…...

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Meet Eric DeBellis, CUB’s General Counsel leading the charge against rate hikes in 2023

It’s been quite a few months for CUB’s Eric DeBellis. Not only did he become a new dad, but he’s also challenging an unprecedented $2.9 billion in utility rate-hike requests as CUB’s new general counsel.  “The work we do at CUB matters because millions of Illinoisans pay utility companies billions of…...

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A guide to energy efficiency programs for income-qualified households

By Kate Shonk Sustainable Communities Liason Facing high energy prices and the rising cost of living, many consumers want to cut down on their monthly utility bills. In Illinois, consumers have access to energy efficiency programs offered by utility companies–including ones for income-qualified households.  The programs designed for lower-income customers…...

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Another way to take action against $2.9B in rate-hike requests: File a public comment with the ICC

In the wake of the $2.9 billion barrage of utility rate-hike requests there is yet another way to join the fight against these proposed gas and electric increases: File a public comment with the Illinois Commerce Commission (ICC).  We’ve made it easy to do with the links below. If you’re…...

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IGS: CUB’s evaluation of a new community solar offer

This is an evaluation of IGS Energy’s community solar offering. (If you are not already familiar with community solar, we recommend reading our Introduction to Community Solar factsheet first.) How will signing up for the IGS Energy community solar offer affect my electric bill? IGS Energy will look at your…...

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CUB sounds the alarm on ‘unprecedented rate-hike barrage’

In what will go down as one of the worst months ever for Illinois utility customers, five major utilities in January filed for a combined total of $2.9 billion in rate hikes, CUB, which is challenging the increases, said in a news release. The two electric rate-hike requests—from ComEd and…...

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Ameren pushes billions in electric and gas rate hikes

In one month, Ameren Illinois has filed for a $160.4 million gas rate hike and a four-year, $481 million electric increase, and they couldn’t have come at a worse time.  “This is awful news for Ameren customers who already were suffering under some of the highest electric and gas supply…...

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CUB’s money-saving events in February

February may be the shortest month of the year, but there’s still plenty of time to improve your energy efficiency and reduce your utility bills. Below are the free events CUB is offering throughout the state this month. We hope to see you at an event in the near future.…...

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February continues trend of lower gas prices–but they’re still higher than 2021

Some good news: Gas prices for February continue the downward trend we’ve been seeing the last few months. Plus, recently the Energy Information Administration, the statistical arm of the U.S. Energy Department, eased its prediction on how much more Midwest natural gas customers could pay on average this winter–from 29…...

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