Consumers are a great source of information for CUB, and you proved it again this past Energy Awareness Month. We asked for your best winter efficiency tips, and you sent us more than 100 tips! We randomly picked one lucky tipster to win an 8-pack of super-efficient, 60-watt-equivalent LED lightbulbs.…...
Power-grabbing at PJM hits a new low
By Clara Summers Director, CUB’s Consumers for a Better Grid Campaign Governance reform at PJM Interconnection was always going to be hard. PJM is a contradiction in so many ways: it sets rules for the electricity market like a government, but is a private corporation. Its decision-making is controlled by…...
Will Illinois meet the moment to rein in data centers and save us from skyrocketing power bills?
By Sarah Moskowitz Executive Director Citizens Utility Board (CUB) (Note: A version of this opinion piece appeared in Crain’s Chicago Business on July 27, 2026.) This summer millions of Illinois consumers are paying power prices that are about 40-50 percent higher than what they were just two years ago, and…...
The devil is in the details: Analyzing PJM’s policy proposals on data centers
After months of suspense, the PJM Interconnection Board has proposed a series of policy changes on how to manage data center energy demand–a challenge that, if left unchecked, could in a few years spark catastrophic blackouts and price spikes for the 67 million customers who live in the nation’s largest…...
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…...
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…...
Check out July gas prices–more head-scratching at CUB
Illinois utilities have filed their July gas prices with the Illinois Commerce Commission (ICC) and they’re fairly consistent with what we saw in June. One big exception: Consumers Gas has its prices rising 185 percent in just one month. As we reported in June, the volatility of the gas market often…...
February continues trend of lower gas prices–but they’re still higher than 2021
Some good news: Gas prices for February continue the downward trend we’ve been seeing the last few months. Plus, recently the Energy Information Administration, the statistical arm of the U.S. Energy Department, eased its prediction on how much more Midwest natural gas customers could pay on average this winter–from 29…...
January gas prices still way up–will we see some relief in 2023?
Natural gas supply prices dropped for about half of Illinois’ major gas utilities from December to January, but the prices are still at significantly high levels for the second consecutive winter. “We’re hoping that sometime in the new year we’ll see these price spikes ease for all customers, but the…...
