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efficiency

Are you ready for when the cold wind blows? Here’s a winter prep list

With the winter heating season beginning Oct. 1, it’s time to get your home ready for cold weather. Outside: Repair damaged shingles, windows and doors. Clear your gutters of any leaves or debris to prevent any roof damage. Inspect your yard for any tree branches that could interfere with power…...

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Preparing for an Expensive Summer: Your Energy Efficiency Shopping List

In 2021, homes across the country used about 235 billion kilowatt-hours of electricity to cool their homes–that’s about 16 percent of total residential energy consumption. So as we prepare for an expensive summer, it pays to improve your home’s efficiency. CUB put together a  home-improvement shopping list for better energy…...

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First person: Home energy assessment simple, easy, helpful for CUB lawyer

By Eric DeBellis CUB Regulatory Counsel As a lawyer at CUB and a new homeowner, I figured I ought to practice what I preach, so I signed up for a home energy audit through my utility this winter. My experience was simple, easy, and helpful. An energy efficiency technician from…...

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Summer tips on staying cool and safe, without breaking the bank

Summer weather is upon us. Heating and cooling costs account for 50 percent of a home’s energy bills, according to the Department of Energy.  Stay safe, cool and energy efficient. Be safe. Raising your thermostat by a few degrees and using a ceiling fan can lower air conditioning costs over…...

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Weatherization assistance, solar tax credits included in COVID stimulus package

Many consumers across the U.S. should soon see $600 payments in their bank accounts, thanks to a $900 billion stimulus package passed by Congress. Although headlines focused on financial assistance, the federal legislation also encourages energy efficiency and extends an important benefit for people who want to go solar.   The…...

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Order CUB’s Guide to Home Savings (it’s free!)

The last thing you should be worrying about right now is high utility bills. That’s why CUB is bringing you a new guide to help cut your home costs and financial stress during this challenging time. Get a free, printer-friendly copy of CUB’s Guide to Home Savings emailed to you. Please…...

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Do-It-Yourself Home Energy Audit

Have some spare time at home and wondering how to bring down your utility bills? Conduct your own home energy audit, and use this guide as a handy checklist.  Switch to LEDs If you haven’t heard this before from CUB, we’ll say it again: Ditch your incandescents! Incandescent light bulbs…...

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IL power bills lowest in the Midwest (again)–but that advantage is threatened

For the seventh consecutive year, Illinois had the lowest average electricity bills in the Midwest, according to the U.S. Energy Information Administration (EIA). But nobody thinks power bills are low—there’s more work to do. That’s why CUB and other consumer/environmental advocates are pushing Illinois to pass the Clean Energy Jobs…...

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Consumer, environmental advocates flood Springfield to support Clean Energy Jobs Act

By Hannah Finnerty, CUB communications coordinator It was still dark outside when 500 bleary-eyed consumer and environmental advocates from across the state packed onto buses and headed to Springfield. Hoping to meet with their legislators at the state capitol, they planned to urge their senators and representatives to pass the…...

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CUB: Clean Energy Jobs Act would “protect our pocketbooks and the planet”

Saying Illinois urgently needs the Clean Energy Jobs Act (CEJA) “to protect our pocketbooks and the planet,” CUB Executive Director David Kolata testified before a Chicago City Council committee today in support of a resolution endorsing the legislation now before the General Assembly in Springfield.   The Committee on Environmental Protection…...

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