CUB is asking Ameren customers to tell the Illinois Commerce Commission (ICC) to oppose excessive Ameren rate hikes. This year, Ameren announced significant drops in its rates due to a decrease in the corporate tax rate on the delivery side of the bill and a drop in market electricity prices. Good…...
CUB, suburban leaders urge Gov. Rauner to veto HB 4508
Suburban Chicago leaders and the state’s top consumer watchdog group on Monday urged Gov. Bruce Rauner to veto a bill that will give special treatment to Illinois’ most powerful private water companies, making it easier for them to buy municipal water systems and slap their customers with higher rates. At…...
Spring report from CUB General Counsel Julie Soderna
By Julie Soderna, CUB General Counsel Just wanted to give you an update. The CUB staff and I are swamped with these battles in 2018: Fighting plans pushed by giant power generators to change electricity pricing rules in Washington and potentially raise ComEd bills by hundreds of millions of dollars.…...
Some good news for ComEd customers this October
In October, ComEd customers will receive a one-time refund totaling about $80 million. Here’s what you should know: The per-kilowatt-hour credit, labeled the “energy efficiency credit,” works out to nearly $14 for the average ComEd residential customer. The credit is the result of a refund requested by ComEd…...
Join CUB’s Community Action Campaign
This June we’re challenging EVERYONE in Chicago to join CUB’s Community Action Campaign. In the battles below, Julie, CUB’s general counsel, is up against the best lawyers the utilities can buy. She can’t beat them alone, which is why you and your neighbors must join the fight. Remember they only win when…...
BREAKING: ComEd has filed for a $96 million rate hike
“A rate hike is never good news for consumers,” CUB Executive Director David Kolata said. “CUB will conduct a detailed review of ComEd’s $96 million rate-hike request, and we will challenge every penny the company can’t justify.” Help us fight the hike! Send a message to state regulators against ComEd’s…...
Beware! New year, new electric rates
As of Jan. 1, the electric rates for both Ameren and ComEd customers have changed. For Ameren electric customers, rates have dropped about $14.5 million. However, CUB believes customers deserve an even bigger cut: a total of $22 million. That’s why the watchdog filed a petition of rehearing with the…...
Utility spending on rate-hike cases shows what CUB is up against
Since 2010, Illinois’ biggest utilities have spent $40 million trying to raise consumer rates before the Illinois Commerce Commission (ICC)—an amount that could fund CUB’s entire outreach, legal and consumer advocacy operations for at least 15 years. The lofty figure illustrates what CUB’s legal and policy teams are up against…...
What we’re doing on our summer vacation
By Sagar Dommaraju This summer, or any other time, CUB’s not taking a vacation from rate-hike battles. ComEd has asked for a $138 million rate increase to help pay for upgrades to the power grid. CUB’s legal team is analyzing the proposal to weed out wasteful spending. The Illinois Commerce Commission (ICC)…...
Help Julie and Christie fight rate hikes!
CUB has launched its annual consumer campaign in June to rally Illinoisans against billions of dollars in rate hikes. We hope every community in Illinois signs our Rate-hike Fighters Petition. Take a look at the rate-hike battles CUB General Counsel Julie Soderna and Senior Attorney Christie R. Hicks are juggling before…...
