Kudos to NBC 5 investigative reporter Chris Coffey for helping a Chicago resident get a $150 rebate Coffey told the story of Jon Marinas, who owns a West Loop condo and says local utilities have made the rebate application a confusing process. Marinas wants to reduce his carbon footprint, and…...
Winners of CUB’s giveaway take home smart thermostats
Congratulations to Thomas, of Walnut, and Richard, of Mount Prospect, on winning CUB’s smart thermostat giveaway. The two lucky winners beat out more than 2,000 other participants to take home the free, money-saving devices valued at about $250. For Thomas, who is in the process of moving to Putnam, winning the smart thermostat means he can…...
A ‘greener’ take on this year’s holiday gift giving
By Samantha Vercellino Gift shopping can be stressful, especially when the holiday is right around the corner. But don’t fret; we’ve put together a list of our five favorite “green” gifts of 2015! Smart Crock-Pot: Unlike most slow cookers, the Smart Crock-Pot is Wi-Fi enabled which allows users to adjust its temperature…...
So what the heck is a green plan?
Crain’s Chicago Business has shined a spotlight on a “green” plan offered by Ethical Electric, which has been CUB’s biggest source of questions this year among dozens of alternative electric and gas suppliers. A direct mail piece by Ethical is short on detail on the plan’s actual cost, and how it…...
Give your AC a helping hand during heat waves
Twenty years ago, I was struggling through the infamous 1995 heatwave…by cuddling with frozen vegetables. As a cub reporter for The Associated Press in Milwaukee, I spent my days (July 11-27, 1995) helping to record a heart-breaking toll: 85 heat-related deaths in Milwaukee, another 465 in Chicago. My nights were…...
Big Mistake: Spark Energy sends erroneous letters to suburban consumers
CUB wants to set the record straight about erroneous information Spark Energy has mailed to some Chicago-area residents. The Journal & Topics Newspapers reported that Buffalo Grove put out a news release about the alternative electricity supplier’s “false aggregation notice.” And Arlington Heights resident and CUB Litigation Director Julie Soderna…...
Congrats to Illinois’ top energy savers!
Energy efficiency pays, and there’s nobody who knows that better than the top energy savers in the state! These Illinois cities and neighborhoods have registered the highest electricity savings through CUBEnergySaver.com, CUB’s free online service that can show a consumer how to cut power bills by hundreds of dollars a…...