With potentially dangerous heat on the horizon as the summer months come into focus, CUB has tips on how residents can keep their homes cool, safe and energy efficient. Remember these to stay comfortable during the dog days of summer: –Raising your thermostat by only two degrees and using a…...
Take action for Efficiency!
Watching daily developments in Washington, it’s easy to get discouraged. But as a nonpartisan group that works to lower utility bills, we want to alert you about good legislation on Capitol Hill—and give you a chance to take action. Just last week, the Energy and Natural Resources Committee recommended that…...
Slay “vampire power” with smart power strips
Appliances and electronics can suck up power even when you’re not using them. This wasteful “phantom” or “vampire” power can account for up to 20 percent of residential energy use. But a smart power strip can help tame this problem. It saves energy on devices that are on stand-by—they’re plugged in and…...
So what the heck is a green plan?
At CUB we get a lot of calls from consumers who have questions about renewable energy plans that get pitched to them by alternative suppliers. These “green plans” are a legitimate choice, but some people have complained about exorbitant rates. If you’re shopping in the market, you should have all…...
Sign CUB’s Pledge: Defend Efficiency
In the past, we’ve alerted you about White House budget plans that would eliminate strong energy efficiency programs like Energy Star, which since its beginning in 1992 has saved residential and business customers more than $360 billion dollars on their utility bills. That’s why this Earth Month (April), it’s so…...
The day in the life of a CUB outreach staffer…
By Annabelle Roser As solar energy becomes more accessible to everyday consumers, the financial incentives of owning solar panels can be hard to pass up. The benefits of subsidizing or eliminating your energy bills through net-metering can be especially enticing to retirees or those on fixed incomes. Recently, I met…...
Hot tip: ComEd’s Hourly Pricing program might be right for you!
More than a million Illinois consumers are with alternative suppliers, but CUB would like to alert people to yet another choice: Commonwealth Edison’s Hourly Pricing program. The program lets customers take advantage of hourly market-based electricity rates, which tend to be lower during nights and weekends. While not for everyone, thousands of…...
One step closer to stopping Ameren’s attack on energy efficiency
This week our legal team received some good news: An Illinois Commerce Commission (ICC) judge has recommended that the full ICC reject Ameren Illinois’ proposal to increase its customer charge by 9 percent. (Read CUB’s statement on the development.) Last August, the company had made the proposal, but CUB, Environmental…...
