Want to Save Money on Your Phone, Gas Bills? Free Event Shows Residents How to Save

CUB, the Citizen's Utility Board, will offer a free "checkup" at Rush Oak Park Hospital on Jan. 15. 

The checkup can't do anything to help you with your winter sniffles, but it could help save you a significant amount of money on your gas, phone, electric and other utility bills.

CUB is a nonprofit organization with the stated missing of representing the interests of residential utility customers in Illinois. Utility customers can bring in copies of their bills at this free event for one-on-one advice on how to trim their bills with a CUB expert.

The checkup event will begin at 10 a.m. on Tuesday, Jan. 15 at Rush Oak Park Hospital, 610 S. Maple Ave. in Oak Park. Those attending should head to room 2000. Patrick Diegnan, a CUB spokesperson, said the event generally lasts about an hour, depending on how many residents show up. The clinic will begin with a short presentation, followed by the one-on-one interviews with residents about their bills.

"Most [attendees] find that they can save a significant amount without any sacrifice," Diegnan said. "A lot of it is just dropping coverage they don't need, or finding a plan that works better for their needs."

CUB experts will sit down with residents to review their bills and can explain confusing charges, answer questions and show you where to save money.

Information available at the clinic includes:

• Oak Park’s “municipal aggregation” program and how it impacts electric bills.
• CUB Energy Saver, www.CUBenergysaver.com, a free online service that has helped consumers cut energy bills by an average of more than $100 a year.
• How to spot unnecessary charges on electric, natural gas and phone bills.
• The low-cost Consumer’s Choice local-calling plans, designed by CUB under a legal settlement with AT&T. The plans have been saving Illinois consumers an average of about $200 a year.
• Illinois’ best long-distance plans and how to get a $10 credit negotiated by CUB. That amounts to about five hours of free calls. 
• Line-Backer, a costly—and optional—AT&T service that most people don’t need.

Attendees of the clinic will need to bring in their phone, gas and electric bills so they can be reviewed.

For more information, call CUB's Consumer Hotline at 1-800-669-5556, or visit the organization's website at www.CitizensUtilityBoard.org.