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Consumer advocates fight for extended COVID-19 protections for utility customers

After a historic agreement between consumer advocates and Illinois’ major utilities, state regulators are now considering the most comprehensive COVID-19 utility relief measures in the country. This plan could serve as a national model for helping utility customers struggling to pay their bills during the worst economic crisis since the…...

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Statement by CUB Executive Director David Kolata on ICC Consumer Protection Measures Amid COVID-19 Crisis

We thank state regulators for their pro-consumer actions today. These are uncertain times, and the last thing consumers need is to have their utility service interrupted, or to have their health threatened by alternative supplier sales representatives knocking on their doors. As this public health crisis unfolds, we need to…...

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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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It could be an expensive winter

Midwestern homes that heat with natural gas on average could see a 14.5 percent increase in bills this winter, according to the Energy Information Administration (EIA). But gas customers in Central and Southern Illinois are seeing their costs go down. The Energy Information Administration (EIA) says consumers will see higher heating bills due…...

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[Call to Action] These Scams Must End

You can help us right a wrong in Illinois. Check out this list of terrible gas supplier deals CUB found consumers paying at one of our utility-bill clinics this year. $1.32 per therm (312% higher than utility rate at the time) $1.16 per therm (262% higher than utility rate at the time) 70¢ per therm (118% higher than utility rate at…...

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Ameren customers: Tell the ICC to oppose new rate hikes

CUB is asking Ameren customers to tell the Illinois Commerce Commission (ICC) to oppose excessive Ameren rate hikes.  This year, Ameren announced significant drops in its rates due to a decrease in the corporate tax rate on the delivery side of the bill and a drop in market electricity prices. Good…...

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Step forward in Illinois: ICC OKs new protections against electric rip-offs

After three years of hard work by consumer advocates and regulators, the Illinois Commerce Commission (ICC) today voted to finalize new consumer protections against electric rip-offs. The key rules require alternative electric suppliers to: -Obtain a third-party verification of a door-to-door sale or a “Letter of Agency” (documentation in which…...

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Are you cooling an empty home? There’s a solution

Amid the hottest month of the year, consumer advocates joined with Commonwealth Edison (ComEd) and the Illinois Commerce Commission (ICC) to make Chicago-area consumers aware that cooling an empty home while they are away at work or on vacation can cause summer energy bills to soar at a news conference…...

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ICC approves new rules to protect electric shoppers

CUB commended the Illinois Commerce Commission (ICC), led by Chairman Brien Sheahan, for advancing new rules designed to help electric customers avoid bad deals from alternative electric suppliers. “We believe a healthy competitive electric market always makes consumer protections a priority,” CUB Executive Director David Kolata said in a statement. “These…...

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Big ICC ruling for electric shoppers

The Illinois Commerce Commission (ICC) took a big step in improving the power market, proposing new rules to protect consumers against misleading marketing. CUB and other consumer advocates applaud the new rules. For about two years, we have been calling for tougher rules to prevent misleading and confusing marketing by…...

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