(800) 669-5556

alternative suppliers

ICC stats: IL consumers have lost $1.6B with alternative suppliers since 2015, but Ameren customers saved last year

Illinois consumers have lost about $1.6 billion total to alternative suppliers since 2015–but Ameren customers, for a change, saw some savings last year, according to a review of annual reports from the Illinois Commerce Commission’s Office of Retail Market Development (ORMD).  Under Illinois law, ComEd, Ameren and MidAmerican customers are…...

Read more

Summer power prices for Ameren and ComEd

Ameren Illinois and ComEd supply customers will be paying new prices for electricity on June 1, as market prices ease. Prices skyrocketed last year, caused by a number of factors, including the volatility of the natural gas market, made worse by the Russian invasion of Ukraine. Gas, which is often…...

Read more

CUB’s legal team takes on alternative suppliers in 2021

UPDATE: The Second District Appellate Court of Illinois upheld the Illinois Commerce Commission’s $1 million fine against LifeEnergy, another legal victory for consumers. In 2020, CUB secured a $1 million fine against the supplier, but it appealed to the higher court. Alternative electric supplier National Gas & Electric, LLC will…...

Read more

CUB analysis: Community power deal could offer slight savings

As of July 31, 359 of 553 total active municipal aggregation deals in Illinois offer a price lower than the utility — ComEd or Ameren Illinois — according to CUB’s analysis of the Illinois Commerce Commission’s data on community power deals. Compared to last year, this is good news for…...

Read more

State: Illinois electric customers overpaid by $431 million with alternative suppliers

Illinois consumers who buy their electricity from alternative suppliers collectively paid $431 million more in the last year than they would have by sticking with their utility, according to a new report from the Illinois Commerce Commission’s Office of Retail Market Development. From May 31, 2020 through May 31, 2021,…...

Read more

Could alternative suppliers come knocking again soon?

At the start of the COVID-19 pandemic, state utility regulators directed all alternative electric and natural gas suppliers to suspend their door-to-door sales because of the transmission risk. But the Illinois Commerce Commission (ICC) could soon allow doorstep sales now that Illinois is in phase 5 of its reopening plan. …...

Read more

Alternative supplier to pay $325,000 for alleged marketing, sales violations

Alternative electric supplier Great American Power will pay a $325,000 settlement after consumer advocates accused it of failing to comply with state regulations governing alternative suppliers. The supplier is now banned from marketing its products or enrolling customers in Illinois for five years. The Illinois Commerce Commission (ICC) approved the…...

Read more

Ambit Energy: Too Good to Be True?

CUB fields numerous inquiries about energy companies in Illinois, and we’ve heard recent concerns about Ambit Energy. If you’re considering signing up for Ambit as your energy supplier or working as a consultant for Ambit, make sure you understand the terms of your contract. Ambit Energy is a company based…...

Read more

2020: CUB’s Year by the Numbers

2020 certainly wasn’t the year we were expecting: COVID-19 pandemic, racial and economic injustice and utility corruption. But CUB continued to work for Illinois consumers, despite some of the obstacles this year has thrown our way. We converted all of our in-person events to online programming, and invited people to email us their…...

Read more

Breaking News: Consumer Victory at the ICC!

Victory for Consumers! The Illinois Commerce Commission (ICC) voted 3-2 on Thursday against lifting a ban on door-to-door marketing by alternative energy suppliers during the pandemic. The ICC was considering a proposal by the commission’s staff that was supported by alternative energy suppliers. CUB argued that door-to-door marketing was needlessly…...

Read more