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…...
They’re getting richer: the ongoing battle against high utility bills
Crain’s Chicago Business reports that in the first quarter of the year—a relatively warm winter—Peoples Gas still made a record $97.6 million. That’s after two straight years of record annual profits. “It wasn’t long ago when Peoples’ profit over an entire year wouldn’t approach the nearly $100 million it collected…...
Federal legislation gives Illinois $41 million boost in energy assistance
Illinois has received more than $41 million in extra assistance to help low-income consumers pay their electric and gas bills during the pandemic, thanks to the federal stimulus package that passed earlier this spring. The $2 trillion Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security (CARES) Act is a wide-ranging package designed…...
CUB’s weekly e-newsletter: What’s up with your gas utility?
In this week’s e-newsletter, CUB’s policy and legal teams update you on how Illinois’ major gas utilities are trying to make you pay more. Read the summaries below and sign CUB’s petition against the utilities’ profit grabs. Ameren Illinois filed a $102 million natural gas rate hike with the Illinois Commerce…...
Struggling to pay your bills? These resources can help
With uncertain times come uncertain finances. Due to the public health emergency, you may have been laid off, your hours may have been cut, or you may have accrued unexpected medical expenses. Whatever the reason, paying your utility bills shouldn’t cause additional financial stress. These programs may be able to…...
Why is Peoples Gas giving $7 million back to customers?
What happened? The Illinois Commerce Commission (ICC) announced in July that Peoples Gas has agreed to give about $7.2 million back to its customers. Why is Peoples Gas giving money back to consumers? It’s connected to a review of 2015 costs of the utility’s troubled pipeline-replacement program, called the System…...
Live in Chicago? Last winter you paid 67% more to heat your home than your friends in the burbs
There’s more evidence of an impending heating-affordability crisis for Chicago residents: This week, Crain’s Chicago Business reported that for the second consecutive year, city residents paid hundreds of dollars more for gas than suburbanites–about $324 more. In the winter of 2017-2018, Peoples Gas customers paid about 80 percent more on…...
