(800) 669-5556

electric bills

Update on cases involving ComEd, Ameren Illinois power bills

We wanted to give you an update on electric battles before the Illinois Commerce Commission (ICC). ComEd: As you recall, last December the Illinois Commerce Commission (ICC) rejected the utility’s grid plan and slashed its $1.47 billion rate-hike request by about 65 percent (ICC Docket # 23-0055). However, the company filed a petition…...

Read more

CUB News Release: ComEd pushes for customers to pay millions to fix botched billing ‘upgrade’ that has crippled Illinois’ acclaimed Community Solar Program

With Commonwealth Edison’s botched billing system upgrade effectively blocking Illinois’ money-saving Community Solar program, the Citizens Utility Board (CUB) is demanding that the utility giant finally resolve the months-long problems and abandon a ploy to force frustrated customers to pay nearly $30 million to help fix the fiasco. (Here’s a…...

Read more

Protect yourself from utility disconnections

Protect yourself from disconnection with the following tips. Be proactive. If you’re having difficulty paying your bills, call your utility. Here are the direct hotlines for major Illinois utilities: Ameren Illinois – 1-800-755-5000 Aqua Illinois – 1-877-987-2782 ComEd – 1-800-334-7661 Illinois American Water – 1-800-422-2782 Nicor Gas – 1-888-642-6748 North…...

Read more

CUB helps consumer get $23,288 refund!

CUB’s Consumer Advocacy Department this past spring helped secure a $23,288 refund for a Chicago business owner. Annie Warnock, CUB’s Bilingual Consumer Rights Specialist, took on the case of a small-business owner who was “distraught and confused” over high electric bills. The owner discovered she was with an alternative electricity…...

Read more

CUB alerts Illinois consumers to new summer power prices

ComEd and Ameren Illinois are charging new electric supply prices as of June 1. Know these prices to avoid bad deals peddled by alternative electricity suppliers. As of June 1, the utilities are charging a new “price to compare,” the price customers should compare to alternative supplier offers, according to…...

Read more

Hourly Pricing program sets record for savings in 2023

A voluntary ComEd program that charges participants an electricity rate that can change hourly set a record for savings in 2023, according to a report filed with the Illinois Commerce Commission (ICC). The Hourly Pricing program saved participants a total of $12.4 million in 2023, which was more than the…...

Read more

Illinois Clean Jobs Coalition unveils 2024 legislative platform

The Illinois Clean Jobs Coalition (ICJC), of which CUB is a member, has introduced its 2024 platform—a slate of legislation outlining critical solutions in the power, buildings, and transportation sectors that accelerate Illinois’ climate, equity, and energy goals. (Read the ICJC’s full release and watch the Springfield news conference.) In…...

Read more

Q&A: Updates to the Carbon-free Resource Adjustment

CUB has been getting calls about a line-item on ComEd bills called the Carbon-Free Resource Adjustment, or CFRA.  Over its first year on ComEd bills, the CFRA delivered a total of about $2.4 billion in credits to consumers.  But this summer the CFRA became a charge. Here’s some background. What…...

Read more

Saving energy and money at home– the renter’s edition

By: Kate Shonk Sustainable Communities Liason The summer cooling season is upon us, and at CUB we’re here to help all Illinoisans save energy and money. For consumers who rent their homes, it can be hard to have control over their building’s efficiency measures–but you still have options. Even if…...

Read more

Teacher says CUB website invaluable in battling alternative supplier ‘scamsters’

Carolyn helps teach English as a second language–but her lessons have gone far beyond grammar. One day a student mentioned to the Champaign-area teacher that her utility bills had gone through the roof. What Carolyn uncovered was a problem all too common for Illinois consumers. A salesman from an alternative…...

Read more