Your CUB Voice – Last Issue

Welcome to the online edition of The CUB Voice! Due to budget challenges from record rate hikes, we again printed and mailed a condensed CUB Voice in June. But this digital version of the Summer CUB Voice has full coverage of how your CUB team is fighting for lower utility bills, clean energy and consumer protections. My special request: CUB receives no state funding—we rely on support from good people like you. As we celebrate our 40th anniversary, please help us continue to provide critical services by contributing to our $750,000 goal. Thank you!

Sarah Moskowitz, CUB Executive Director

In one month alone, major electric, gas and water utilities in Illinois reported that more than 1.3 million of their customers were buried in $493.6 million in debt, according to numbers the companies are required to file with the Illinois Commerce Commission (ICC).  “A lot has changed over the past 40 years, but one thing stays the same: Utility greed,”  CUB Executive Director Sarah Moskowitz said. “These numbers show the urgency of fighting reckless utility spending.”

With major Illinois utilities pushing for a record number of rate hikes over the past year, CUB drafted and found sponsors for four pro-consumer bills at the State Capitol. CUB’s legislation addressed the kind of issues that frustrate Illinois consumers, including paying utility costs that we shouldn’t, like country club members and outside expert witnesses in Illinois rate-hike cases. With the support of Illinois consumers, we’ll keep fighting!

A solar benefit called “net metering” is NOT going away in 2025, but it is changing, under state law. The final details of this transition have not yet been finalized by the utilities or state regulators, but this Q&A covers what we know as of May 2024.

Gas utility customers in Illinois could see the delivery charges on their bills triple in the next decade if regulators do not limit gas utility spending, according to a new “Future of Gas in Illinois” analysis. “The crippling costs of heating bills has already caused a financial emergency for many Illinois families, and this new study shows that current conditions represent only a fraction of the fiasco to come if spending by gas utilities is not held in check,” CUB Executive Director Sarah Moskowitz said.

Last November, the Illinois Commerce Commission (ICC) reduced Peoples Gas’ proposed rate hike by about $100 million and ordered the utility to pause its financially bloated pipe-replacement program, pending an investigation of its management. But the utility filed a petition for rehearing and attempted to raise gas rates by another $8 million. In May, the ICC rejected all but a small fraction ($1.6 million) of Peoples’ request. “With this decision, the ICC again displayed the kind of regulatory scrutiny needed to protect Illinois consumers from excessive costs,” CUB Executive Director Sarah Moskowitz said.

Testimony filed by the Citizens Utility Board (CUB) has uncovered about $50 million in overcharges buried in Illinois American Water’s proposed rate hike, criticizing the company for seeking an excessive profit rate and charging customers millions for executive bonuses. The consumer group said the company’s rate-hike request highlights the need for Springfield to pass consumer protections for private water customers across Illinois.

ComEd and Ameren Illinois are charging new electric supply prices as of June 1. Know these prices to avoid bad deals peddled by alternative electricity suppliers.

CUB has joined forces with a community that has had highly publicized problems with lead in its drinking water to file testimony arguing that Aqua Illinois’ proposed $19.2 million rate hike should be slashed by at least 40 percent.

Annie Warnock, CUB’s Bilingual Consumer Rights Specialist, took on the case of a small-business owner who was “distraught and confused” over high electric bills, and helped her secure a $23,288 refund.

• A step-by-step guide to applying for LIHEAP (energy assistance)
• Washington Post: Hiring a contractor for home electrification projects? Ask these questions!
• Tips for fighting high summer electric bills

• WEEK TV Peoria: CUB finds ‘overcharges’ of $50 million in Illinois American Water’s rate-hike request
• Chicago Sun-Times – Regulators reject Peoples Gas bid for more pipeline replacement funding
• Daily Southtown – Aqua Illinois planned water rate hike contested by University Park, CUB
• WCBU Public Radio, Peoria – Consumer advocates say Illinois American Water’s requested rate hike would overcharge customers
• WBBM News Radio – A consumer watchdog group has joined the fight to reduce a rate increase request by a drinking water supply company
• NBC 5 Chicago – Proposed $7.9M Peoples Gas rate hike denied by Illinois regulators
• Capitol News Illinois – Regulators slash Chicago gas utility’s rate request, setting up likely legal battle

• Fox 32 News Chicago: Citizens Utility Board celebrates 40 years of standing up for consumers  (Also, visit our 40th Anniversary page to watch our “Power of CUB” video.)
• ABC 7 Chicago: Utility regulators approve Peoples Gas rate increase, cuts hike to $1.5M from requested $8M
• WGN TV Chicago: What’s the future of your gas stove in Chicago?

CUB Executive Director Sarah Moskowitz speaks on Chicago’s gas affordability crisis at a City Council Hearing.

40 years of great leaders! Four generations of executive directors posed at a CUB get-together, from left: Sarah Moskowitz, David Kolata, Martin Cohen and Sue Stewart.

CUB’s Outreach Team was proud to be nominated for a Climate Action Hero Award for holding hundreds of free events a year that show people how clean energy can cut utility bills. Outreach Director Ivonne Rychwa represented her department at the ceremony at the Climate Action Museum in Chicago.

Want more great digital content? Sign up for our email newsletter list and follow us on social media: Facebook, Twitter (X), Instagram, YouTube, and LinkedIn.