A Chicago City Council Committee on Monday passed an ordinance that Ald. Brendan Reilly said will “land the City of Chicago at the top of all cities in North America when it comes to planning for the future of electric vehicles.” Approved by the Committee on Zoning, Landmarks and Building…...
A message from CUB’s Executive Director: Responding to COVID-19
Dear Illinois consumers: Now that the World Health Organization has declared COVID-19 (also known as Coronavirus) a global pandemic, I want to let you know that the Citizens Utility Board (CUB) will continue to serve you through this public health crisis, while doing our part to limit this hazard from…...
CUB’s Virtual Utility Bill Clinic
Because of concerns about COVID-19, we are bringing back a popular service: virtual utility-bill clinics. How it works: A CUB specialist will look over your gas, electric and telecom bills to see if you’re signed up with an alternative supplier or if you’re paying for unnecessary products and services. We’ll…...
March update: Gas prices continue downward trend—but higher prices could be on the horizon
Most natural gas utilities decreased or maintained their price from last month and all lowered their rates from March 2019. This general trend has continued for three consecutive months, but federal officials predict that could come to an end soon. Here’s our monthly review of gas prices: Illinois Gas, a…...
It’s time to take the power back: Pass CEJA NOW!
More than 700 consumer and environmental advocates converged on Springfield this week to push for the Clean Energy Jobs Act (CEJA), encouraged by Gov. J.B. Pritzker’s pledge to pass legislation that puts “consumers and climate first.” “I’m not going to sign an energy bill written by the utility companies,” the…...
$500 refund! CUB helps save man from “awful nightmare” with alternative supplier
A Genoa resident received a $500 refund after being overcharged for months by an alternative electric and gas supplier, thanks to CUB’s Bilingual Consumer Rights Specialist Annie Warnock. When Gayle filed a complaint with Residents Energy, he was paying 15.53 cents per kilowatt-hour (kWh) for electricity — more than double…...
Sources for CUB’s Guide to Fighting Robocalls
You can order CUB’s Guide to Fighting Robocalls here. Below is a list of the sources the Citizens Utility Board (CUB) researched to write the guide: “Apple.” Detect and block spam phone calls – Apple Support. https://support.apple.com/en-us/HT207099. AT&T. “Block Robocalls and other Unwanted Calls.” https://www.att.com/help/robocalling.html. Blanco, Octavio. “Robocalls Decline, but…...
Memes, graphic novellas, Instagram, oh my! — Northwestern students help CUB rethink its educational tools
Who knew that memes, social media and graphic novellas could be used to break down and simplify utility concepts like capacity markets and legislation like the Clean Energy Jobs Act? Thanks to a partnership with PhD and Masters students in the “Introduction to Design in Learning Sciences” course at Northwestern…...
