CUB made headlines this week, warning consumers about bad deals in the electric market. Now, we want to hear from you through our survey on Illinois electric offers. A year ago, CUB released its first report on electric competition, praising the fact that Illinois consumers had saved up to $218…...
Five big red flags in Illinois’ electric market
CUB today is releasing a report that shows how Illinois’ electricity market has become more confusing, more expensive, and more treacherous in just the last 12 months. And the watchdog is concerned that consumers who are seeing headlines about summer rate hikes will get scared into bad deals. “Right now,…...
Breaking: ComEd power price to increase 38% June 1
ComEd’s residential energy rate is set to rise 38 percent from 5.52 cents per kilowatt-hour (kWh) to 7.596 cents per kWh on June 1. (See ways you can soften the rate hike below.) Crain’s Chicago Business reports that the average household bill will increase about 20 percent, to $82 per month because of…...
Report: ComEd parent says no to Illinois nuke bailout
According to a published report, ComEd-parent Exelon says it will NOT seek a state bailout of its nuclear power plants. (CUB Executive Director David Kolata had earlier described a full-fledged bailout as “radioactive” for consumer pocketbooks.) But the news is tinged with uncertainty, since consumer advocates wonder if the door…...
Brutal April: Ameren, ComEd ask for $481 M in electric rate hikes
We knew these rate-hike requests were coming, but they still hurt. In April, ComEd and Ameren have asked for a total of $481 million in rate hikes, which would take effect in January 2015. Here’s CUB’s statement: “This month, Ameren and ComEd have filed for $481 million in electric rate hikes—about…...
You’ll need an aspirin for these headaches
At CUB, we couldn’t do the work we do—saving individual consumers hundreds of dollars on their utility bills, advocating for consumer protections in Springfield, and fighting rate-hike hungry energy companies—without support and input from our members. That’s why we sent a survey out last November asking you to rate your…...
Put up your dukes: Time to take on rate hikes
In 2014, CUB is fighting more than half-a-billion dollars in rate-hike battles from ComEd, Ameren, Peoples Gas and North Shore Gas (see the chart below). In response, we’ve established an emergency Consumer Defense Fund and we have a challenge for you: Help us raise $50,000 by April 30th to cover…...
