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gas bills

Chicago’s looming disaster?

Did you know that last winter, you paid 80 percent more for natural gas service, on average, than your friends and relatives in the suburbs? And a big reason appears to be the mismanaged Peoples Gas pipe-replacement program. That’s what Crain’s Chicago Business reported in a recent story with this ominous…...

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Good news/bad news on Ameren bills

There have been major developments concerning your Ameren natural gas and electric bills. Here’s a summary: The bad news: Rate hikes! Earlier this year, Ameren filed for a $46.6 million gas rate hike before the Illinois Commerce Commission (ICC). Now, it also wants a $71.75 million electric hike. The increases…...

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The 5 questions you should ask every time you open your electric or gas bill

CUB staffs more than 400 events a year, which means on average not a day goes by where CUB isn’t somewhere showing someone how to save money. Our utility-bill clinics are great events, but we want to empower consumers to do their own bill analysis. Read our how-to article, “5…...

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A message from Steve, a CUB Volunteer

My name is Steve, and one way I give back to my community is as a CUB member and volunteer. I’m proud of the work we’ve done this year—and one of my favorite moments is when I saved two customers from paying for an outrageous gas rip-off. So far, I’ve…...

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ICC votes to extend investigation of Peoples Gas pipeline-replacement program

Read CUB’s statement about today’s Illinois Commerce Commission (ICC) vote to extend an investigation into the horribly managed Peoples Gas pipeline-replacement program. Also, send a message to the ICC, thanking it for this development and urging it to hold the utility accountable. CUB Statement Today, the Illinois Commerce Commission (ICC)…...

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CUB, NBC 5 Help a Couple Get a $1,500 Refund

By Sagar Dommaraju If you’re looking for a good reason to read your electricity and gas bills, just check out Vicki and Jim Pelton’s story.  The retired Ottawa couple overpaid by $1,500, until CUB and a TV station worked to get them a full refund after 17 months of inflated…...

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Beware bad gas deals

With federal predictions that we could pay the lowest winter heating bills in more than a decade, be careful to avoid bad gas deals peddled by alternative suppliers. For roughly 15 years, Northern Illinois consumers have been able to choose another company to supply their natural gas–other than the regulated utilities, North…...

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EIA: ‘U.S. households will pay the lowest…gas bills this winter in more than a decade’

Aside from this week’s brutal cold, warmer-than-normal winter weather is a big reason natural gas prices have plunged. Over the last four months, average prices for the major utilities have dropped by as much as 49 percent. “U.S. households will pay the lowest heating oil and natural gas bills this winter in…...

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60 events! Outreach on record-setting pace in August

A big thank you to CUB’s Outreach team, which is on track to hold a record-breaking 60 money-saving events in August! The 10-member team is trying to beat the previous record of 57 speaking engagements, tabling events and utility-bill checkups across the state. Recently, the team traveled to Hillsboro, Maywood,…...

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Energy saving tips to eat up this Thanksgiving

By Samantha Vercellino Thanksgiving is fast approaching and many Americans are gearing up to cook a traditional holiday feast that will leave family and friends in a food coma. But gathering around the table can be a pricey affair, especially when total U.S. spending on Thanksgiving dinner is $2.4 billion. So, before heading…...

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