A class of Northwestern undergraduate students worked with CUB over the spring semester to fill gaps in the utility watchdog’s outreach efforts. Although COVID-19 and Illinois’ stay-at-home order caused the student teams to rethink aspects of their projects, CUB now has new and improved outreach materials, as well as new…...
Consumer losses from alternative electric suppliers exceed $1 billion
Illinois has reached a grim milestone in the history of electric competition in the state: Residential consumers have now lost more than $1 billion to alternative electric suppliers since 2015, according to a new report from the Illinois Commerce Commission (ICC). More than 1.67 million ratepayers are signed up with…...
Breaking: Major utilities extend moratorium on shut-offs
Major Illinois utilities have extended the moratorium on shut-offs for another month, until around September, according to a statement from state regulators. Ameren Illinois, Aqua Illinois, Consumer Gas, ComEd, Illinois American Water, Liberty, Nicor Gas, Peoples Gas, North Shore Gas and Utility Services of Illinois are among the utilities with extended moratoriums…...
CUB Analysis: Put low-income communities at heart of state EV policy
With the right electric vehicle (EV) policies, Illinois can deliver cleaner air, low-cost transportation options and lower energy costs for all consumers, particularly in neighborhoods most burdened by pollution, poverty and high power bills, the Citizens Utility Board (CUB) argues in a new analysis released Wednesday. At a time when…...
Energy rip-offs have hit low-income communities hard, but here’s another reason the HEAT Act gives us hope
At CUB, we get reports that customers enrolled with alternative suppliers have been charged double or triple (or worse) for their electricity—and marketers have long preyed on the neighborhoods that can least afford to pay high power bills. That’s yet another reason we’re dedicated to making sure a new reform…...
Environmental justice communities could see pollution problems addressed with CEJA
All people are entitled to live in clean communities free from health hazards, but not everyone enjoys this guarantee. “Environmental Justice” — or EJ — communities are regularly exposed to harmful pollution, but the Clean Energy Jobs Act aims to change that by helping the state make an equitable transition…...
New Data: Private water companies spent $88.5 M on acquisitions—ratepayers on the hook
Illinois American Water and Aqua Illinois, the state’s two biggest for-profit water companies, have purchased 14 municipal water/wastewater systems since the fall of 2018, when state legislation was passed that allows the companies to foist the $88.5 million price tag onto their customers, according to a CUB review. CUB has…...
Real-Time Pricing: Another way to save–just ask CUB staffers
Most people pay an electricity rate that only changes a few times a year, but real-time pricing offers a different way to pay for electricity. Instead of charging a standard price per kilowatt-hour, the utility charges program participants a supply rate that changes each hour. ComEd offers real-time pricing through…...
