Lifeline Partner Spotlight: Citizen's Utility Board
Roxana Ryan
Published: November 19, 2013
The Citizens Utility Board was a key partner in the Broadband Lifeline initiative and continue to do innovative work throughout all parts of Illinois. Learn more about their orgnanization below.
1) What is the Citizens Utility Board? Who do you serve? The Citizens Utility Board, or CUB, is Illinois’ premier consumer advocate for the Land of Lincoln’s telecom, natural gas, and electricity customers. CUB, an independent, nonpartisan, nonprofit group, was created by the Illinois Legislature to advocate for consumers and offer them free services across Illinois—from Chicago to Cairo. Since opening our doors in 1984, CUB’s legal and policy team has helped save consumers more than $10 billion. Each year, CUB’s outreach team holds hundreds of free consumer-education events at churches, community centers, libraries and city halls across Illinois. Our signature events are utility bill clinics, in which CUB experts read over bills and give consumers tips on how to cut them. CUB also features a library of free, money-saving publications; an award-winning website with free cost-cutting tools; and a Consumer Hotline, 1-800-669-5556, staffed with experts who help consumers resolve disputes with their utility companies.
2 ) Who do you work with? Are your partners doing any innovative projects thanks to your services?
CUB values partnerships with a wide range of groups. CUB’s outreach team has used the consumer group’s free cutting-edge online tool, CUBenergysaver.com, to partner with schools, hospitals, and city governments to help consumers save money on their electric and natural gas bills. CUBenergysaver.com gives consumers a customized plan on how to cut energy costs at home by an average of $100 a year, and many different groups and communities have shown an interest in using it to benefit their members or residents. For example, thanks to a partnership with the City of Evanston, 1,344 residents have used CUB Energy Saver to cut bills by 1,103,616 kilowatt-hours and $123,164.
3) Is Citizens Utility Board launching any new programs or working on new initiatives?
Given great changes in the electric industry, CUB is planning on launching a 2014 education campaign to explain to consumers what the power companies’ new “smart meters” mean for their electricity service. CUB is always focused on protecting consumers as they face changes to their electric, natural gas, and telecom service. Knowledge is power, and an educated consumer is more likely to save money on his or her electric bills.
4) What are some of your greatest obstacles in serving your users?
Consumers are hungry for clear, accurate information about their utility service, but there's a wide information gap between consumers and the companies that provide those services. It’s a challenge for CUB to bridge that gap, but that’s our job. Another challenge is the diverse choices Illinois consumers make in their telecom services. We are charged with serving ALL Illinois consumers—from people who just want a simple landline phone to those who want an iPhone. It’s a worthwhile challenge to meet a consumer’s needs, no matter what his or her preferences are.
5) Does your organization have a website, newsletter or social media pages that you'd like to share?
Our website, at www.CitizensUtilityBoard.org, is a great resource to help people save money. People also can connect with CUB through our Facebook, www.Facebook.com/cubillinois, and Twitter, www.Twitter.com/cubillinois, pages. If you have a question, concern or complaint about your electric, natural gas, and telecom service, please call CUB's Consumer Hotline, at 1-800-669-5556. CUB's consumer advocates have saved people hundreds, even thousands, of dollars by spotting errors on utility bills. Not everyone saves money by calling CUB--but everyone becomes more educated, and educated customers learn ways to save.