The World Electric Vehicle Journal recently published CUB’s paper on electric vehicle (EV) charging. Researched and written by CUB Executive Director Dave Kolata and Director of Research Jeff Zethmayr, Charge for Less: An Analysis of Hourly Electricity Pricing for Electric Vehicles compares what customers of Illinois utility Commonwealth Edison would have paid in…...
Back-to-back consumer refunds: Over $800 in savings!
Jantay Gray, consumer advocacy assistant at CUB, recently helped two consumers land refunds–totaling $871.45! “I try my best to advocate for whom I believe to be the most vulnerable utility customers–the elderly and victims of economic disparities,” she said. Throughout the year, CUB’s Consumer Advocacy Department (CAD) takes thousands of calls…...
New ComEd and Ameren rates: January 2019
What happened with your ComEd and Ameren rates as of January 1? CUB breaks it down for you. ComEd Customers Rates for ComEd increased slightly. » Single family homes without electric heat Monthly Customer Charge: $11.31/month (formerly $10.84/month) Distribution Facilities Charge: 3.539¢/kWh (formerly 3.171¢/kWh) » Multifamily homes without electric heat Monthly Customer Charge: $8.13/month (formerly $7.68/month) Distribution Facilities…...
Tell AT&T, Comcast to do something about robocalls
Did you know in 2018, people in the United States got hit with a record 47.8 billion robocalls? That’s about 147 calls per person. That’s ridiculous. And Illinois is one of the hardest hit states in the country–in December alone we received 168 million automated calls. Some robocalls are good–like…...
Today: He’s MATCHING Donations
Exciting news: A generous, longtime CUB member, who wishes to remain anonymous, has offered to donate $1,000 TODAY to match your contribution. So today your year-end, tax-deductible contribution can be twice as powerful! Why is he being so generous? He told us in an email: “With profit-mongering big energy companies threatening to cost consumers…...
CUB’s NEW Gas & Electric Guide
We are happy to announce that after months of research and writing by CUB’s experts, we are releasing an online Gas and Electric Guide, the first such publication in CUB’s 35-year history. This free handbook is a comprehensive guide to all the rules and regulations that govern how gas and electric utilities should…...
It could be an expensive winter
Midwestern homes that heat with natural gas on average could see a 14.5 percent increase in bills this winter, according to the Energy Information Administration (EIA). But gas customers in Central and Southern Illinois are seeing their costs go down. The Energy Information Administration (EIA) says consumers will see higher heating bills due…...