As we head into the winter heating season, CUB urges eligible consumers to apply for Low Income Home Energy Assistance Program (LIHEAP) funding. The application process reopens. Oct. 2. Here’s the schedule for this fall: Oct. 2: LIHEAP begins taking applications for seniors (age 60 or older), people with disabilities…...
Update on record-breaking rate hikes in 2023
By Eric DeBellis CUB General Counsel Regulatory Counsel Laura Loyd and I are dealing with a record six rate cases, totaling a whopping $2.9 billion. Where do the rate cases stand? Over the past year, CUB has filed expert testimony uncovering the utilities’ attempts to get state regulators to approve…...
Consumer advocates to Illinois utilities: Pause shut-offs in storm-ravaged areas
Consumer advocates are calling on utilities across the state–including Ameren Illinois, Commonwealth Edison, Peoples Gas and Nicor Gas–to issue a moratorium on utility shut-offs and offer special assistance to help residents of areas ravaged by extreme summer weather. Leaders from a number of advocacy groups, including the Citizens Utility Board…...
Mid-year Report, by Sarah Moskowitz, CUB Executive Director
It’s been a historic year so far, with Illinois utilities pushing for a record $2.9 billion in higher rates and a major transition at the Citizens Utility Board (CUB). Check out my mid-year report–and please consider a small contribution to support the work for clean, affordable energy. Summary: Major change…...
The time is now for electric cooperatives to empower rural Illinois communities
Co-Authors: Amanda Pankau, Prairie Rivers Network, Christine Nannicelli, Sierra Club Illinois, and Scott Allen, Citizens Utility Board The passage of the Inflation Reduction Act (IRA) has dramatically transformed the energy landscape for publicly owned electric cooperatives and municipal utilities across the country, offering game-changing access to clean energy tax credits…...
Solar group buy program helps 76 properties go solar ($71,000 in potential first-year savings)
A special program that CUB works on ended 2022 with 76 properties contracted to install solar panels in the coming months–a potential total savings of more than $71,000 for participants in the first year alone. After a year of elevated global energy costs, these Chicago-area residents are moving toward renewable…...
ICC orders $38 million ComEd scandal refund – a step forward, but not enough
After an investigation sparked by the Climate & Equitable Jobs Act (CEJA), the Illinois Commerce Commission (ICC) has ordered scandal-plagued ComEd to give customers a $38 million refund. But CUB says it’s not enough. “A ($38 million refund) only partially compensates customers for ComEd’s misconduct — people deserve better in…...
