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Search Results for: "consumer alert"

CUB in the News

…Executive Director David Kolata on Another Record Nicor Gas Rate-Hike Request 12/15/22 – Grow Solar Chicagoland Group Buy Program Ends, 76 Properties Going Solar 11/10/22 – CONSUMER ALERT: CUB Releases Winter-Saving Tips 10/3/22 – CONSUMER ALERT: Ameren IL’s New Power Price Up 126% From Last Year 10/3/22 – CONSUMER ALERT: New ComEd Price Up 26% From Last Year, CEJA Credit…

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Consumer alert: Prosecutors say man posed as meter reader to commit murder

A man accused of posing as a meter reader to commit murder highlights the importance of following a few precautions when somebody claiming to be from the utility knocks on your door. Just days before Willie Bell, of Chicago, shot a romantic rival, he bought a workman’s vest and helmet, prosecutors said. The helmet had “meter inspector” written on it….

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Consumer Alert: PIPP is back! (but funds are going fast)

A program that helps low-income seniors and families stay current with their utility bills was reinstated after budget disputes in Springfield suspended it for a year. However, due to the program’s popularity the funding has run out in Cook County and is going fast in other counties. The Percentage of Income Payment Plan (PIPP) allows low-income households to get help…

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CUB’s guide to avoiding bad gas deals

Gas customers in Illinois have the option of choosing an unregulated alternative gas company instead of the regulated utility for their gas supply. Making the right choice, however, can be hard work! And now that utility heating prices are at their lowest in nearly 15 years, it is more important than ever to do your homework. See CUB’s consumer alert

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CUB proposal: Videotape door-to-door power pitches

Today, we issued a consumer alert urging people to sign CUB’s petition asking the Illinois Commerce Commission (ICC) to require electricity suppliers to videotape their door-to-door electricity pitches. Such a proposal is probably a first in the nation, and the alternative electricity suppliers (of course) are fighting it tooth and nail. This is the latest development in a campaign for…

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Consumer Alert: Highest prices in the Illinois electric market

The Illinois electric market can be confusing (and expensive!) but CUB is here to help. We reviewed more than 100 individual offers from alternative electric suppliers across Illinois and we want to warn you about the highest prices we found. Some of these rates about double that of the regulated utility! In ComEd territory, the highest prices (as of Jan….

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CUB Consumer Alert: tips on keeping safe, warm in the bitter cold

Click here to give us one of your own tips for keeping warm and safe. With forecasts calling for dangerous wind chills as low as 40 below zero, CUB today released a Consumer Alert. Here are our emergency tips: Don’t take any risks. The Illinois Department of Public Health recommends setting your thermostat no lower than 66 degrees in times…

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Dolton’s high electricity rates, and 3 questions you should ask about your own town’s power deal

Dolton residents have been paying the highest electric rates in Illinois the last few months, thanks to the community’s “municipal aggregation” deal. Aggregation–when local leaders negotiate power prices with alternative suppliers on behalf of a community’s residents–was once a sure bet. Some communities secured a price that was nearly 50 percent better than the utility. But then the market changed,…

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Consumer alert: Is your utility on the phone, or a scam artist?

Lisle Elsbury, a business owner from Utica, received a call from “Ameren.” He was told that his power-bill payment didn’t go through and that he needed to make a quick payment to avoid service shut off. Elsbury didn’t buy it. He had recently paid his utility bill so he knew it had to be a scam. Lisle told the LaSalle…

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5 surprising things you should know about the June rate hike

…Ameren Illinois actually went down about 3-5 percent on June 1, to under 5 cents per kWh. Ameren is connected to a Midwest power grid that figures capacity charges differently. It also doesn’t have the intense power demand issues that ComEd’s grid, connected to East Coast states, faces. This week, CUB put out a consumer alert about the increase in…

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