The northern Illinois power market hasn’t been working too well for consumers these days. Now a major electricity generator in the state wants to impose the same type of market on Central and Southern Illinois–and that would be bad news for Ameren electric customers. How different is the power market…...
A $580 million hit on our pocketbooks
Illinois consumers complain all the time about the power markets not working for them. For months now, we’ve also been hearing complaints from Exelon, the parent company of ComEd. Despite making $21 billion in profits over the last decade, Exelon says it needs help from ratepayers to boost revenue at its…...
AG, CUB announce $46 million in refunds for ComEd customers
Good news today, for ComEd customers! Illinois Attorney General Lisa Madigan’s office and CUB have secured $46.2 million in refunds for consumers, after ComEd agreed to a settlement. The refund is connected to legal disputes that go as far back as a ComEd rate-hike request in 2007. The refunds will…...
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…...
Update to Chicago Power Deal Calculator
CUB introduced the Chicago Power Deal Calculator in June to help you decide if the City’s deal with Integrys Energy Services was the right choice for you over the summer. Integrys recently announced rates for October 2014 through May 2015, and CUB has updated its calculator to help you determine whether…...
Land of Lincoln leading the nation: An information bill of rights for smart meter customers
Illinois could become the first state to require electric utilities to give customers quick and easy access to their own energy-usage data, under a proposal filed with state regulators by the Environmental Defense Fund and CUB. The is a key time for Illinois electric customers, as ComEd and Ameren launch…...
CUB, ABC 7 shine spotlight on a ‘Major’ problem
Check out Jason Knowles’ ABC 7 investigative piece on Major Energy, an alternative electric supplier with a track record that’s causing CUB concern. Some of the most egregious complaints CUB has received about alternative suppliers have been connected to Major. They’re one of the companies that sparked CUB and the…...
They made how much?
We’re fighting the utilities in nearly $1 billion in rate-hike battles, but a review of their parent companies’ 2nd quarter earnings would have more than a few Illinois consumers scratching their heads as to why the companies need all that extra cash. The parent companies of ComEd, Peoples Gas, North Shore Gas,…...