Alt. gas suppliers on the rise, and they appear to be violating the HEAT Act
Although many alternative gas suppliers peddle bad deals, their numbers were on the rise in 2019, the Illinois Commerce Commission (ICC) reported in its annual assessment of natural gas competition. The report, compiled by the ICC’s Office of Retail Market Development, also revealed that a number of supplier offers as…...
Beware High Bills! A Halloween Special
Although Halloween classics like Count Dracula, Freddie Krueger and Michael Meyers cause a fright, few things are scarier than paying high energy bills. In honor of the spooky season, CUB staffer Cate York created a new video, “Beware High Bills: A Halloween Special.” It’s a fun, quick summary of the…...
CUB Q&A: FERC ruling takes Illinois a step closer to paying higher bills to support dirty energy
A new ruling by the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) brings Illinois one step closer to funding a fossil fuel bailout. And that increases the urgency to pass the Clean Energy Jobs Act (CEJA), sweeping legislation that would protect consumers’ power bills while moving the state toward 100 percent renewable…...
Consumer Alert: Could alt suppliers be knocking on your door again?
Breaking News Update, Nov. 5: Victory for Consumers! The Illinois Commerce Commission voted 3-2 today to keep the moratorium in place. Thank you to all the Illinoisans who used CUB’s Action Network to help send 1,000 messages to state regulators in favor of keeping the ban in place. Your activism makes…...
A CUB How-To: Downloading Your Bills
CUB often encourages consumers to sign up for online billing through their utility. It’s convenient and easy, and there are oftentimes perks or programs that are only available through an online account. But navigating a new online space can be confusing, so CUB staffer Cate put together a few videos…...
CUB alert: People struggling to pay utility bills should call their utilities to take advantage of landmark consumer protections
CUB urges Illinois consumers having difficulty paying their utility bills during the pandemic to contact their utility companies to take advantage of unprecedented consumer protections available to them. “Anybody struggling to pay their bills during the pandemic should immediately contact their utility to find out what protections are available, and…...
October gas prices up from last month, down from 2019
The winter heating season is upon us, but while natural gas prices are up from last month, many utilities are charging less than they did last October. Still, there’s bad news from one of the state’s biggest utilities: Crain’s Chicago Business reports that winter bills for Peoples Gas, which serves…...
