During the summer months when electricity bills are on the rise, many consumers wonder if they should switch to an alternative supplier to cut down on their bills. But beware, these enticing offers are usually not as good as they seem. Illinois electric customers have lost more than $1 billion…...
The time is now for electric cooperatives to empower rural Illinois communities
Co-Authors: Amanda Pankau, Prairie Rivers Network, Christine Nannicelli, Sierra Club Illinois, and Scott Allen, Citizens Utility Board The passage of the Inflation Reduction Act (IRA) has dramatically transformed the energy landscape for publicly owned electric cooperatives and municipal utilities across the country, offering game-changing access to clean energy tax credits…...
Solar group buy program helps 76 properties go solar ($71,000 in potential first-year savings)
A special program that CUB works on ended 2022 with 76 properties contracted to install solar panels in the coming months–a potential total savings of more than $71,000 for participants in the first year alone. After a year of elevated global energy costs, these Chicago-area residents are moving toward renewable…...
ICC orders $38 million ComEd scandal refund – a step forward, but not enough
After an investigation sparked by the Climate & Equitable Jobs Act (CEJA), the Illinois Commerce Commission (ICC) has ordered scandal-plagued ComEd to give customers a $38 million refund. But CUB says it’s not enough. “A ($38 million refund) only partially compensates customers for ComEd’s misconduct — people deserve better in…...
Alert: CUB urges struggling consumers to call their utilities before key protections expire July 31
Amid high energy prices, the Citizens Utility Board (CUB) is urging consumers who are struggling to pay their utility bills to call their utilities immediately to learn about protections available to stay connected to service. Some of those safeguards expire July 31. “It’s been a rough year for utility customers,…...
CUB Statement on $199 Million ComEd Rate-Hike Request
This is the statement CUB released on Friday, April 15: This is bad news for Illinois consumers who are coming off the most expensive winter heating season in more than decade, and it’s why we’re working to build a more consumer-friendly rate-setting system in Illinois. CUB will review ComEd’s rate-hike…...
UN report: Climate disasters are likely to get worse–we must act now
With increasingly cold winters and hotter summers, Illinois consumers face the prospect of higher and higher gas and electric bills. It’s likely to get worse, according to the latest climate report by the United Nations, but we still have time to act. The United Nations Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change…...
