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Ameren

New electricity prices!

As of Oct. 1, ComEd and Ameren are charging new prices for electricity. This is vital information you need to avoid bad deals in Illinois’ power market. Luckily, CUB has got you covered.  Read CUB’s 5 key facts about the new rates and answer a few short questions for a chance to…...

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Hello October, hello lower gas prices!

By Samantha Vercellino As October rolls in, consumers begin preparing themselves for the arrival of two things: Starbucks’ Pumpkin Spice Lattes and higher utility bills. But Illinoisans may be singing a different tune this heating season, because major Illinois utilities are charging consumers 25-27 percent less to heat their homes…...

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Money-saving programs to brag about

By Samantha Vercellino Thanks to efficiency programs offered by Illinois’ major utilities saving energy—and money— is easier than ever before. CUB chose five of its favorite energy efficiency programs from across Illinois. (See them below in no particular order.) ComEd’s Lighting Discounts Lighten your utility woes by switching to newer energy-saving…...

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CUBPowerCalculator.com: Go ahead…try it again!

A new season means new electric rates. That’s why we’ve updated our free calculator to reflect fall electric prices coming to Illinois. The CUB Power Calculator—a tool that shows how your utility’s supply rates stack up against an alternative supplier’s plan— can now provide a price comparison through May 2016.…...

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Statement: CUB Executive Director David Kolata on today’s capacity auction results

For the second time in less than a year consumers in the state—first in Central and Southern Illinois and now in Northern Illinois—face significantly higher electric bills because of a flawed power-pricing system. Illinois’ electricity market is not working well for consumers. This price spike is one more red flag…...

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CUB launches free calculator to help you save!

The electric market just ain’t what it used to be. Proof?  A recent ICC report shows that customers with ComEd, the regulated utility, saved $73.4 million more than customers with alternative electric suppliers from May 2014 to May 2015,. That’s a far cry from just two years ago, when consumers saved…...

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IL’s budget crisis, and your utility bills

CUB’s been getting a steady stream of calls today from people concerned about how Illinois’ budget crisis threatens a program that encourages people to be good utility customers. To fill a $4 billion gap in the budget, the state of Illinois says it has suspended the Percentage of Income Payment…...

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Call in Day: Tell FERC to Investigate Price Hike in Central/Southern Illinois

Central and Southern Illinois residents witnessed a huge jump in electricity prices this summer  following an electric auction that gave power generators like Dynegy a windfall. We are calling on FERC to investigate the price spike to weed out any problems connected to how electricity prices are set in Illinois.   The agency…...

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Why Northern Illinois should care about the rate hikes in Central and Southern Illinois

Lately we’ve been discussing an Illinois electricity auction that sparked a 12-35% price spike for many Central and Southern Illinois customers. The spike was due to an increase in capacity prices—what consumers pay to ensure power plants can deliver electricity on the highest-demand days of the year.  Every spring, MISO (the…...

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June 1: The day a 30% increase in power prices took hold in Central, Southern IL

The fight against a 30 percent increase in power prices is heating up, just as the hike takes hold in Central and Southern Illinois. Here are the latest developments: The new prices took effect on June 1: 5.974 cents per kWh (zone 1) 5.911 cents per kWh (zone 2) 5.966…...

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