Last month, CUB published its first-ever “Guide to Fighting Robocalls“, and over 1,500 people signed our petitions urging the Big Telecom companies to take action against the influx of these annoying calls. Some robocalls are necessary, like school closings, pharmacy reminders, etc. But many are flat-out scams. According to YouMail, Illinois…...
Working for a clean energy future as easy as 1-2-3
The Citizens Utility Board (CUB) staffs more than 400 free events a year—which means just about every day the consumer group is somewhere in Illinois spreading an important message: clean energy = affordable energy. Jim’s a believer. He’s a frequent visitor to CUB events and recently dropped by our utility-bill…...
Executive Director’s February report
Here’s an update on the good work our donors helped make possible in 2019: The World Electric Vehicle Journal has published the CUB research team’s latest paper: “Charge for Less: An Analysis of Hourly Electricity Pricing for Electric Vehicles.” We found that a special ComEd pricing plan would have saved…...
A Chicago heating-affordability crisis?
Mismanaged pipeline program Last winter, Peoples customers paid about 80 percent more for service than Nicor Gas customers—and a big reason is the pipe program, which aims to replace 2,000 miles of aging gas mains. A state-ordered 2015 audit uncovered rampant mismanagement. Since then, the projected price tag for the program has quadrupled to up to $11…...
February 2019: CUB’s top battles
General Counsel Julie Soderna and Senior Attorney Kelly Turner and the rest of the CUB team have these battles on their to-do list in 2019: Most people don’t know that out-of-state energy corporations like NRG and Vistra are on the verge of convincing federal regulators to change electricity market rules.…...
Rate hike warning for Nicor customers
Nicor’s record-breaking $230M hike In November, just months after receiving a $93.5 million delivery increase, Nicor Gas was back at the ICC, asking for a $230 million rate hike. “This is the largest natural gas rate-hike request CUB has seen in 35 years of fighting for Illinois consumers, and it’s fueled by a massive profit rate…...
Can you take the heat? Summer savings tips
Summer is around the corner, so make sure your home—and wallets—can handle the heat. Check your HVAC system. Have a professional check your HVAC system. Consider cleaning your air-conditioning unit’s filter once a month, but at the very least once every three months. It’s an easy way to improve the…...
Tell Congress: Fight Robocalls
Over the last month, thousands of people have ordered CUB’s Guide to Fighting Robocalls and signed petitions to big telecom companies demanding action against robocalls. Now it’s time to turn to Washington, where several bills against robocalls have been introduced in the U.S. House and Senate. The following bills have been introduced…...
