Summer electricity 'Do's and Don'ts'

In 35 years as Illinois' premier nonprofit utility watchdog, the Citizens Utility Board has helped save Illinoisans more than $20 billion. In honor of our anniversary, here are some summer Dos and Don'ts.

DON'T…fall for electric rip-offs. ComEd's power price (6.725 cents per kilowatt-hour) from June-September is lower than last summer. Alternative suppliers going door-to-door, telemarketing you or mailing you pitches most likely can't beat the utility price. Illinoisans with suppliers have lost nearly $800 million since 2015, state officials say.

DO…practice energy efficiency. It's saved consumers more than $4 billion since 2008. Thanks to good legislation like the Future Energy Jobs Act, utilities now offer a rich menu of programs that help you save money.

DON'T…engage robocallers. Illinoisans were hit with an estimated 1.8 billion robocalls last year, and many were scams. So if you receive a marketing robocall, hang up. If a robocall instructs you to press a number to stop future calls, don't do it. That could be a trick to confirm your number is active and ripe for more calls.

DO…learn about hourly pricing. ComEd offers a program that charges you a market electricity rate that can change by the hour. Savings aren't guaranteed, but participants have saved an average of 15 percent on the supply side of their electric bills.

DON'T…fall prey to the utility imposter scam. Scam artists may impersonate utility workers to take your money. Real utility workers never ask you for personal information or to buy a prepaid card to avoid disconnection. If you suspect a utility scammer is at your door, close it and call your utility (using the number on your bill).

If you have questions, concerns or complaints about your utility service, call CUB's Consumer Hotline, 1-800-669-5556, or visit CitizensUtilityBoard.org.

David Kolata, Executive Director

Citizens Utility Board