Breaking News Update, Nov. 5: Victory for Consumers! The Illinois Commerce Commission voted 3-2 today to keep the moratorium in place. Thank you to all the Illinoisans who used CUB’s Action Network to help send 1,000 messages to state regulators in favor of keeping the ban in place. Your activism makes…...
Consumer losses from alternative electric suppliers exceed $1 billion
Illinois has reached a grim milestone in the history of electric competition in the state: Residential consumers have now lost more than $1 billion to alternative electric suppliers since 2015, according to a new report from the Illinois Commerce Commission (ICC). More than 1.67 million ratepayers are signed up with…...
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…...
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…...
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…...
[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…...
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…...
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…...
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…...
