“I feel that if my wife and I can do this, it’s within reach of a lot of people…” — Gary Freymiller CUB Board Member Gary Freymiller hopes his experience electrifying his home can help others choose the best path to cleaner, more efficient heating and cooling. “I feel that if…...
Making data centers pay their fair share
A data center is a facility that houses computer systems used for storing, processing and distributing digital information. They use a tremendous amount of electricity–the largest facilities can consume as much energy as 100,000 households a year (a mid-sized city)! Across the United States, data center electricity use has more than doubled…...
CUB Q&A: community solar billing
CUB regularly receives questions about community solar billing, so we put together this Q&A. What is Community Solar? Community solar is a program for people who can’t put solar on their own homes. It allows consumers to save money on their electric bills from energy produced by large, offsite community…...
CUB Capitol Report: Our 2026 Legislative Agenda Aims to Fight Rip-offs, Rein in High Private Water Bills, Eliminate Ridiculous Utility Charges, Make AT&T Pay Up
By Bryan McDanielCUB Director of Governmental Affairs Springfield’s November Veto Session was busy with the passage of the Clean and Reliable Grid Affordability (CRGA) Act. CUB supported the bill as a response to rapidly rising power prices–but there is more work to do, as data centers continue to place a…...
CUB’s money-saving events in February
The Citizens Utility Board’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. Amid the winter-heating season, CUB can share tips…...
The devil is in the details: Analyzing PJM’s policy proposals on data centers
After months of suspense, the PJM Interconnection Board has proposed a series of policy changes on how to manage data center energy demand–a challenge that, if left unchecked, could in a few years spark catastrophic blackouts and price spikes for the 67 million customers who live in the nation’s largest…...
Statement: Consumer watchdog vows to fight Illinois American’s $134 million ‘money-grab’
The following is a statement from Citizens Utility Board (CUB) Executive Director Sarah Moskowitz on Illinois American’s latest rate-hike request. It is outrageous that Illinois American Water wants yet another rate hike. This company—a rate-hike machine—has already burdened customers with three increases totaling $230 million over the last decade, and…...
Nautilus Solar: CUB’s evaluation of Nautilus Solar’s community solar offer
This is an evaluation of Nautilus Solar’s community solar offering. (If you are not already familiar with community solar, we recommend reading our Introduction to Community Solar first.) How will signing up for Nautilus Solar’s community solar offer affect my electric bill? With a community solar subscription, customers join a…...
‘Utility Customer Refund’? Analyzing an alternative supplier deal
The Citizens Utility Board (CUB) has recently seen an influx of offers from SmartEnergy, an alternative energy supplier that advertises a $100 “utility customer refund.” At a time when far too many Illinois residents are struggling to afford their utility bills, this could be an attractive offer. But is it…...
