CUB Alerts Central, Southern Illinois Consumers About Summer Power Prices

Contact:
Jim Chilsen, [email protected], (312) 513-1784

CHICAGO, June 15, 2017—The Citizens Utility Board (CUB) on Thursday alerted consumers in Central and Southern Illinois about a decrease in Ameren Illinois’ summer electricity supply rates.

As of June, Ameren’s “price to compare”—the rate customers compare to alternative supplier offers—decreased about 5 percent compared with June 2016.

New Ameren Supply Rates

June – September 2017:

5.369 cents per kilowatt-hour (kWh)*

October 2017-May 2018:

6.13 cents per kilowatt-hour (kWh) (first 800 kWh), 4.543 cents per kilowatt-hour (over 800 kWh)*

*Note: The rates include Ameren’s supply price, plus a transmission services charge, plus a supply cost adjustment.

The consumer group created a special summer information center, at CUBHelpCenter.com, with money-saving energy efficiency tips as well as information on how customers can avoid bad electric deals.

“Door-to-door electricity marketers will be out this summer, and we want people to have the information they need to make the best choice for their home,” CUB Communications Director Jim Chilsen said. “We also want to show how energy efficiency is the best way to cut power bills. The cheapest electricity is the electricity you never use.”

Shoppers evaluating a door-to-door alternative supplier offer should follow these tips:

* Don’t give out your electric bill or account number unless you are sure you want to switch. If you do, an unethical marketer could use that information to switch you to an alternative supplier without your consent.

*Ask if the rate you are being offered is an introductory or promotional rate, and if so, when does that rate end and what will be the new rate.

*Ask if the rate you’re being offered has any fees tied to it—such as an exit fee, or a monthly fee that will inflate the per-kWh rate. Exit fees are capped at $50, and you can avoid getting slapped with one if you cancel a contract within 10 days of the supplier’s charges first appearing on the bill.

CUB is Illinois’ leading nonprofit utility watchdog group. Created by the Illinois Legislature, CUB opened its doors in 1984 to represent the interests of residential and small-business utility customers. Since then, CUB has saved consumers more than $20 billion by helping to block rate hikes and secure refunds. For more details, call CUB’s Consumer Hotline at 1-800-669-5556 or visit CUB’s award-winning website, www.CitizensUtilityBoard.org.