Citizens Utility Board

What Citizens Utility Board does

Citizens Utility Board (CUB) is a nonprofit, nonpartisan consumer advocacy organization created by the Illinois General Assembly in 1983 under the CUB Act and operational since 1984. Headquartered in Chicago with additional staff presence in Springfield and Urbana, CUB represents Illinois residential and small-business utility customers in regulatory proceedings before the Illinois Commerce Commission, in state legislative debates, and in community settings. Core services include a toll-free consumer hotline (1-800-669-5556), free educational guides and fact sheets, hundreds of community outreach events per year, utility bill review, regulatory/legal advocacy in rate cases, and policy advocacy on clean energy and consumer protection. The organization was instrumental in landmark Illinois legislation including the Future Energy Jobs Act (2016) and the Climate and Equitable Jobs Act (2021), and claims more than $20 billion in cumulative consumer savings since 1984 — equivalent to roughly $300 in savings per $1 raised.

CUB operates through two affiliated legal entities: a 501(c)(4) organization handling advocacy (non-tax-deductible contributions) and a 501(c)(3) CUB Consumer Education and Research Fund (CUB CERF) for educational programming (tax-deductible). Funding comes entirely from grassroots individual donations (recommended $25/year) and grants; all consumer services are provided free of charge. The technology stack is light — a WordPress website, a CMS-driven blog (WatchBlog), an email/action-alert system, a podcast (Power Source), and the Big Energy Research Center data platform co-developed with the Environmental Defense Fund to give researchers access to anonymized ComEd smart-meter data. The most significant recent strategic move is the 2023 launch of the Consumers for a Better Grid campaign, which extends CUB's scope from Illinois to the multi-state PJM Interconnection region serving 65 million people, accompanied by a leadership transition to Executive Director Sarah Moskowitz.

Name

Citizens Utility Board

Legal name

Citizens Utility Board

Website

https://citizensutilityboard.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

1984

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Citizens Utility Board (CUB) is a nonprofit, nonpartisan consumer advocacy organization created by the Illinois General Assembly in 1983 that represents Illinois residential and small-business utility customers in regulatory rate cases, clean-energy policy, and consumer education, all delivered free of charge and funded by grassroots donations and grants.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Utility Consumer Advocacy

akta.pro primary industry

Community Choice Aggregation (CCA) / Municipal Aggregation Retail Supply (EUAGABAF)

Keywords

• Utility consumer advocacy
• Consumer protection services
• Energy rate advocacy
• Utility regulation monitoring
• Consumer education

Headquarters

HQ city

Chicago

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices3 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales

Revenue model

1. Membership Donations: CUB is a membership-based nonprofit organization funded by grassroots donations from Illinois consumers. The recommended donation is $25 or more annually, though amounts as low as $10 are accepted. Donations to the 501(c)(4) arm are not tax-deductible.
2. Grants: CUB regularly applies for and receives grants to continue consumer education and clean energy work. The 501(c)(3) arm (CUB CERF) accepts tax-deductible contributions and grant funding for educational initiatives.

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels5 records

Marketing channels8 records

Core offering

Citizens Utility Board is a nonprofit consumer advocacy organization that represents the interests of utility customers, primarily through regulatory advocacy, policy research, and consumer education. It monitors utility rates and service quality and engages in proceedings before public utility commissions to influence outcomes favorable to residential and small commercial utility consumers.

Product overview

Citizens Utility Board (CUB) is a nonprofit consumer advocacy organization offering a portfolio of educational resources, regulatory advocacy services, and community engagement programs for Illinois utility customers. The organization does not develop or sell software products; instead, it provides free consumer services including a toll-free hotline, educational guides and fact sheets, legal/regulatory advocacy before the Illinois Commerce Commission, policy advocacy, community outreach events, and research resources. Core offerings include the Consumer Hotline, Outreach Events Program, Regulatory Advocacy, Policy Advocacy, and an extensive Fact Sheets/Guides Library covering gas, electric, solar, water, telecom, and electrification topics. The organization also operates the Big Energy Research Center (data platform for researchers), maintains Community Solar Resource Center and Illinois Solar for All program promotion, tracks water privatization issues, and provides Financial Assistance Navigation for low-income consumers.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Consumer Advocacy and Representation Representation of consumer interests in utility regulatory proceedings, rate cases, and legislative matters affecting utility customers.
• Consumer Hotline Direct consumer assistance service helping utility customers resolve billing disputes, understand their rights, and navigate utility service issues.
• Consumer Education and Publications Educational events, guides, and publications that inform consumers about utility services, energy efficiency, and consumer rights.

Quantifiable outcome

• Saved Illinois consumers more than $20 billion since 1984
• +5 more outcomes

Named customers2 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles1 record

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Ten partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• Environmental Defense Fund (EDF)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCUB partnered with Environmental Defense Fund to develop the Open Data Access Framework for sharing anonymized energy usage data from ComEd smart meters. This partnership created the Big Energy Research Center, giving researchers access to data from millions of Illinois electric customers to study energy efficiency, costs, and policy impacts.
• Illinois Commerce Commission (ICC)coreOthersCUB has statutory standing to participate in ICC regulatory proceedings as a consumer advocate. The ICC is the state agency that regulates investor-owned utilities in Illinois.
• Illinois Clean Jobs CoalitioncoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCUB is an active member of the Illinois Clean Jobs Coalition, which helped pass the Future Energy Jobs Act (2016) and Climate and Equitable Jobs Act (2021). CUB participates in the downstate caucus of the coalition.
• Illinois Shines (State Solar Program Administrator)coreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorCUB refers consumers to Illinois Shines, the state-administered community solar and rooftop solar incentive program created under the Future Energy Jobs Act and strengthened by CEJA.
• Illinois Solar for AllcoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorCUB refers income-qualified consumers to Illinois Solar for All, a state program providing access to solar benefits for low-income households and environmental justice communities.
• Illinois Department of Commerce and Economic OpportunitycoreOthersCUB refers consumers to LIHEAP (Low Income Home Energy Assistance Program), administered by DCEO, which helps eligible low-income households pay for winter energy service.
• Switch Together ChicagolandminorGTM or Marketing PartnerCUB promotes Switch Together Chicagoland, a program that educates Chicago-area consumers on solar benefits and helps participants install solar panels at discounted rates.
• GrowGeo ChicagolandminorGTM or Marketing PartnerCUB promotes GrowGeo Chicagoland, a program that provides free educational sessions on geothermal heat pump systems and connects interested participants to vetted installers.
• Community Solar Providers (Ampion, Arcadia, Clearway, Common Energy, IGS, MC2 Energy Services, Nautilus Solar, Nexamp, PowerMarket, Solar Landscape, Solstice, Sunscription)minorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorCUB provides comparison information on multiple community solar providers participating in the Illinois Shines program, helping consumers evaluate offers without endorsing any specific company.
• Illinois General AssemblycoreOthersCUB was created by the Illinois General Assembly in 1983 and continues to work with state legislators on consumer protection and clean energy legislation.

Scale indicators5 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Others

• Environmental Defense Fund: CUB's research and data partner on the Big Energy Research Center, providing anonymized smart-meter data infrastructure. Not a direct competitor but an enabling collaborator in clean-energy and ratepayer-impact research.

Direct peers

• Connecticut Office of Consumer Counsel: Connecticut's state agency representing the interests of residential and small-business utility customers before the Public Utilities Regulatory Authority. Parallels CUB's role of statutory representation in rate proceedings.
• Pennsylvania Office of Consumer Advocate: Pennsylvania's independent state agency that represents residential and small-business utility consumers in proceedings before the Pennsylvania Public Utility Commission. Functionally analogous to Illinois CUB as a statutory consumer advocate in rate cases.
• Maryland Office of People's Counsel: Maryland's independent state agency that advocates for residential and small-business utility customers before the Public Service Commission. Operationally equivalent to Illinois CUB's ratepayer-advocacy mandate.
• Oregon Citizens' Utility Board: Oregon's state-level nonprofit utility consumer advocate, sharing the same name, legislative-creator structure, and rate-case intervention model as Illinois CUB. Both organizations represent residential and small-business utility customers before state public utility commissions.
• Texas Office of Public Utility Counsel: Texas state agency representing residential and small-business utility customers in proceedings before the Public Utility Commission. Comparable in mission to advocate for Texas consumers analogous to CUB's ICC advocacy.
• Massachusetts Office of the Attorney General - Energy and Ratepayer Division: Massachusetts AG's office functions as the state's utility ratepayer advocate, intervening in proceedings before the Department of Public Utilities on behalf of consumers. Comparable in mission and regulatory function to Illinois CUB.
• Office of the People's Counsel (District of Columbia): Independent DC agency that advocates for utility ratepayers in formal proceedings and educates consumers on utility issues. Directly comparable to Illinois CUB as a jurisdictional consumer advocate operating before a state-level utility commission.
• New Jersey Division of Rate Counsel: New Jersey's independent state entity representing ratepayers in proceedings before the Board of Public Utilities. Performs the same statutory consumer-advocacy function as CUB at the Illinois Commerce Commission.
• New Hampshire Office of the Consumer Advocate: New Hampshire's independent consumer advocate representing utility ratepayers before the Public Utilities Commission. Functionally identical to Illinois CUB in scope and statutory role.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/cubillinois
• Facebookfacebook.com/cubillinois
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/citizens-utility-board-illinois-

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Subsidiaries1 record

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Citizens Utility Board