CUB evaluation Archives | Citizens Utility Board https://www.citizensutilityboard.org/blog/tag/cub-evaluation/ Fight utility rate hikes, promote clean energy, and advocate for consumer protections in Illinois. Tue, 06 May 2025 16:34:35 +0000 en-US hourly 1 https://wordpress.org/?v=6.8.2 https://www.citizensutilityboard.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/09/cropped-CUB_LogoBadgeAlt-32x32.png CUB evaluation Archives | Citizens Utility Board https://www.citizensutilityboard.org/blog/tag/cub-evaluation/ 32 32 IGS: CUB’s evaluation of a new community solar offer https://www.citizensutilityboard.org/blog/2023/02/06/igs-community-solar/ Mon, 06 Feb 2023 23:02:49 +0000 https://www.citizensutilityboard.org/?p=36703 This is an evaluation of IGS Energy’s community solar offering. (If you are not already familiar with community solar, we recommend reading our Introduction to Community Solar factsheet first.) How will signing up for the IGS Energy community solar offer affect my electric bill? IGS Energy will look at your energy usage history to determine your subscription size, measured in kilowatts (kW). Each month your subscription will produce solar energy, measured in kilowatt-hours (kWh). Once the community solar project you are assigned to is completed, your monthly electric bill will be reduced by the community solar bill credits. You will also pay a second monthly bill to IGS Energy. Even though you are now receiving two bills, you will still save money overall. On your utility bill, you will see a credit for your community solar subscription. IGS Energy will bill you for the energy generated by your subscription, with a 10% discount applied. That’s where the savings come in. The total amount you save monthly will vary as the solar production of your subscription varies. Based on your billing cadence, you may see a delay of 1-2 billing cycles before your credits are automatically applied to your electric bill. What about alternative suppliers? All customers, regardless of their alternative electricity supplier, can now receive solar bill credits as part of a community solar program. Click here to learn more about alternative suppliers for consumers in ComEd territory and Ameren territory. In addition to offering community solar, IGS Energy is also an alternative electric and gas supplier. Be cautious when looking at the website, as CUB still recommends sticking with your utility rather than signing up for an alternative supplier.  Community Power Deals— While community solar is a good deal for most consumers, you should always do the math. In the current market, community solar may not be the best deal if you are on a municipal aggregation deal (also called a community power deal) that has a lower price than the utility rate. Municipal aggregation deals involve community leaders negotiating an electricity price with an alternative supplier. If your community has a community power deal and you have questions about community solar, please contact Marina Minic at CUB, mminic@CitizensUtilityBoard.org. What does CUB think about this offer? Community solar allows more Illinois consumers to enjoy the benefits of renewable energy, and CUB is pleased to see these offers hit the market. However, we think that IGS Energy being an alternative gas and electric supplier may confuse consumers. IGS Energy does most of their outreach with door-to-door representatives. CUB always cautions consumers to be careful who they show their electric bill to. Never feel pressured to sign up for a program that you are not excited about. If you are solicited, take the time to learn about what IGS is offering, before handing over personal information. Additionally, IGS promises 10% savings over your utility’s energy supply price, but other community solar companies are offering 20% savings. Visit Solar in the Community to see CUB’s analysis of other deals available in Illinois. This chart summarizes key points about the IGS Energy deal: What utility territory does the […]

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