Over 30 years of service, we have seen all sorts of utility mischief: sky-high bills, unresponsive customer service, confusing rates. And in a year of astronomical prices and frequent rate-hike requests, we know there’s still plenty to complain about. So here’s your chance to air it out: In honor of CUB’s 30th anniversary, we’re…...
Free tool helps Chicagoans make big decision: Stay with Integrys or go back to ComEd
CUB and the City of Chicago today launched a free tool to help Chicagoans decide whether they should stick with the City’s power deal with Integrys Energy Services, or switch back to ComEd. Try the free tool at: www.ChicagoPowerCalculator.com. Chicagoans might be surprised when they open their June power bills. They’ll…...
Municipal aggregation ain’t what it used to be
Want to see just how drastically Illinois’ electric market has changed? Take a look at what’s happening to “municipal aggregation.” Aggregation is where local leaders negotiate power prices with alternative suppliers on behalf of their residents. A few years ago, it was an almost-universally great idea for communities. In fact, in…...
Are you paying what you think for electricity?
ComEd’s June 1 electricity supply rate jumped to about 7.6 cents per kilowatt-hour (kWh). But there’s a wrinkle: This month ComEd supply customers are actually only paying a rate of about 7.1 cents per kWh. Wait, huh? The difference is due to a change in the “Purchased Electricity Adjustment” (PEA). That’s a credit…...
Breaking: CUB, City of Chicago call for probe of Illinois electric market
Just four weeks ago, when CUB released a report on Illinois’ electricity market, we warned consumers about bad power deals. Today, CUB and the City of Chicago took another step forward to reform the market. CUB and the City today filed a petition asking the Illinois Commerce Commission (ICC) to launch…...
Fight the hikes
The utilities are at it again–asking for even more of your hard earned money. ComEd is requesting a $275 million rate hike and Ameren is asking for a $206 million increase. These increases would represent a 12 percent and 29 percent jump in electric rates, respectively. That’s just unacceptable. That’s why we’re…...
5 surprising things you should know about the June rate hike
As of June 1, ComEd’s electricity rate shot up 38 percent, to about 7.596 cents per kilowatt-hour (kWh). And the prices offered by unregulated power suppliers competing against ComEd are going up too. To paraphrase Dorothy: “Toto, I don’t think we’re in the same electricity market anymore.” Whether you’re with…...
