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Sources for CUB’s Home Savings Guide

Be sure to read other CUB resources on how to save money: CUB’s Guide to Cutting Cable TV Costs CUB’s Cellphone guide “Saving on Cellphone Service” CUB Guide to Fighting Robocalls CUB’s Gas & Electric Guide: A Handbook for residential gas and electric customers in Illinois CUBHelpCenter.com Below is a…...

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Top to bottom: Is your home ready for winter?

It may not feel like winter yet, but the battle for your heating bills begins right now. Here’s a top-to-bottom checklist to get your home ready. Outside the house Repair damaged shingles. Inspect your gutters. If they’re filled with leaves, that can lead to winter damage to your home’s siding…...

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10 ways to get your home ready for summer

After the recent blast of wintry weather, it’s hard to believe summer is on the way, but it will be here before you know it. Now’s the time to get ready. 1) Schedule HVAC maintenance. Before the hot weather hits, schedule an appointment with an expert to check your equipment’s performance. An HVAC…...

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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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Keeping your home comfortable without breaking the bank

Follow these winter tips to save energy and money. Don’t jack up your thermostat. The Department of Energy recommends keeping the thermostat at 68 degrees while you’re awake and at home. But when you’re asleep or away, you can turn it lower. Our friends at the Citizens Utility Board in Minnesota,…...

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Free CUB guide: Protect yourself from online crooks

NOTICE: CUB’s newest publication is Internet Privacy: A Guide to Protecting Yourself Online. (You may have heard WBBM radio report on the guide over the holidays.) If you’ve read the guide, please tell us what you think. We like to hear your comments so we can improve our library of…...

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CUB releases first-ever internet privacy guide to help IL consumers avoid online crooks and scam artists

For the first time in its three-decade history, the Citizens Utility Board (CUB) has released a guide on internet privacy to help Illinois consumers prevent online crooks and scam artists from stealing their personal information, and their money. Consumers can get a free copy of “Internet Privacy: A Guide to…...

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Yes, it’s time to start thinking about winter

It may not seem like it, but winter is approaching and it’s time to make your monthly to-do list for getting your home ready for the cold season. A suggested schedule: September: -Have your furnace inspected by a certified HVAC professional before the winter. If you have a heating system…...

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What do you need to know about the upcoming solar eclipse?

What’s happening?  On Monday, Aug. 21, a total solar eclipse will pass over the continental U.S. for the first time since 1979—and a 70-mile swath of Southern Illinois (including Carbondale, Carterville, Makanda and Waterloo) will be among the nation’s best places to see it. In fact, the Makanda area will…...

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My summer EE checklist (grandpa would be proud)

By Scott Allen, CUB Environmental Outreach Coordinator (Hillsboro) As the weather turns warm, it’s time to get your home ready for summer. And that reminds me of the jobs I used to do for my grandpa, when I was a kid in Griggsville, Illinois, population 1,200. Over time, Grandpa Jerry, a…...

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