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Electric

The “largest electric increase in state history”—unless Illinois passes CEJA

A Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) ruling could increase power bills for most Illinois consumers by up to $1.7 billion over the next decade—what could be the largest electric increase in state history—unless the General Assembly passes the Clean Energy Jobs Act (CEJA) in 2020. (Read CUB’s statement.)  Here’s what you…...

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The facts on Arcadia Power’s community solar offer

Did you receive a mailing from Arcadia Power, touting community solar?  Have you seen Arcadia’s advertisements online? Consumers from across Illinois are asking CUB lots of questions about Arcadia’s offer.  We’ll try to break it down below. What is “community solar”? Community solar is an exciting new program in Illinois that can help…...

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Consumer, environmental advocates flood Springfield to support Clean Energy Jobs Act

By Hannah Finnerty, CUB communications coordinator It was still dark outside when 500 bleary-eyed consumer and environmental advocates from across the state packed onto buses and headed to Springfield. Hoping to meet with their legislators at the state capitol, they planned to urge their senators and representatives to pass the…...

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CUB helps consumer secure $203 refund from alternative supplier rip-off

CUB’s Ivonne Rychwa helped a visitor to one of our popular utility bill clinics secure a $203 refund after being overcharged by an alternative supplier. Ivonne, CUB’s Lead Community Liaison, met Teofilo at the Round Lake Utility Bill Clinic on Aug. 19 and discovered that he was in the kind…...

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This week’s e-newsletter: 5 questions you should ask about your high gas/electric bills

“Why is my bill so high?” Danielle Holmes, Consumer Rights Specialist, gets that question a lot. Over the past 9 years she has counseled thousands of utility customers a year. Taking a hard look at your utility bills is probably not your favorite pastime—but Danielle has found that you can…...

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Make sure to order CUB’s free, money-saving guides (in honor of our 35th anniversary)

As part of CUB’s 35th anniversary celebration, we have spent 2019  producing a series of free, money-saving guides. If you haven’t already, please order these publications. We will immediately email you a free, printer-friendly copy. CUB’s Guide to Cutting Your TV Costs 10 Ways To Cut Smartphone Data Waste CUB’s Guide to Fighting Robocalls CUB’s Gas…...

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New power prices for Oct. 1, 2019 to May 31, 2020

Did you know that ComEd and Ameren are charging new prices for electricity? It’s important to know what these prices are in order to make an apples-to-apples comparison with alternative electric supplier offers (called the “price to compare”). WARNING: These prices are likely your best bet—since 2015, Illinois consumers with…...

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Update on Ameren, ComEd delivery rates in 2020

When you’re taking on big utilities, the victories never come easy, but CUB’s legal team has some good news for ComEd and Ameren customers: Your delivery rates will be reduced in 2020. This is a nice development, but it’s been overshadowed by an upcoming ruling by the Federal Energy Regulatory…...

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Q&A: The biggest consumer battle of 2019

For more than a year now, CUB has been sounding the alarm about a potential ruling at the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) that could raise ComEd power bills by up to $864 million a year. There have been delays in that ruling, but we now believe it is imminent.…...

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What CUB caught at a recent utility-bill clinic

At CUB utility-bill clinics across the state, we talk to a lot of people  who are, unfortunately, paying a painfully high rate with an alternative supplier. Recently we met Elibrando , who was being charged more than double ComEd’s rate. Elibrando came to a CUB clinic to find out why…...

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