Citizens Utility Board – Your Independent Consumer Voice

Our Story

For most Americans, the job of safeguarding their interests when it comes to utilities is a responsibility of the state government. Depending on the state, it could be the Attorney General’s office, or an Office of People’s Counsel, or another agency that works to make sure homeowners and renters are protected from overspending and excessive profits of their utilities.

But Wisconsin is different.

Instead of a state agency working on your behalf, Wisconsin has CUB. The Citizens Utility Board is your advocate for fair and affordable prices when it comes to your electric, natural gas and water utility service.

We’ve been watching utility spending and advocating for you for decades. Join us!

Become a Residential Member

CUB’s working across the state, for customers of investor-owned utilities like We Energies and Madison Gas & Electric, to customers of municipal utilities to push for fair and affordable rates and safe and reliable utility service.

Donate Now

Become a Small Business Member

CUB is expanding its outreach to give small businesses a greater voice and platform for utilities and regulators to pay attention to their unique concerns when it comes to the need for competitive and reliable utility rates and service.

Donate Now

Planned Giving

Interested in helping CUB well into the future? Please consider making a planned gift to Citizens Utility Board of Wisconsin. It’s another way to support CUB in addition to a cash or credit card donation.

Giving Consumers A Voice

The Citizens Utility Board is at the table for you, working for small customers at the Public Service Commission. Our goal: to fight for fairness in utility rates and to rein in overspending by utilities.

Keeping Customers Connected

Educating Wisconsin residents and keeping our members informed about utility rate cases and other utility proposals is what we do. Stay informed!

Saving Energy, Saving Money

The first step to energy savings is to become savvy about how we use energy. Click here for resources to get you started on the path to bill savings.

WHO WE ARE

Citizens Utility Board of Wisconsin, Wisconsin’s voice for utility consumers, is a member-supported nonprofit organization that advocates for reliable and affordable utility service on behalf of residential and small business customers of electric, natural gas, and water utilities before the Public Service Commission (PSC), the Legislature, and the courts.

CUB was founded in 1979. CUB’s successful advocacy on the part of residential and small business customers before the PSC has cut more than $3 billion from Wisconsin utility bills since 2008.

DOLLARS RAISED IN 2016

SAVINGS GENERATED THROUGH ADVOCACY IN 2015-16

SAVINGS GENERATED THROUGH ADVOCACY IN LAST 10 YEARS

SUBSCRIBE TO OUR NEWSLETTER

Get regular updates on what’s happening with Wisconsin’s energy policy and utilities, and what CUB is working on. Subscribe now!

GET IN TOUCH WITH US

We would love to hear from you!

6401 Odana Rd | Suite 24 | Madison, WI 53719
608-251-3322
staff@cubwi.org

July 17, 2018: MGE Settlement Delivers Big Win for Customers
For Immediate Release: July 17, 2018 More Information: Tom Content, (608) 251-3322 x 12, (414) 550-4712 (cell) A Big Win for Customers: MGE Rate Settlement Cuts Costs, Keeps Fixed Charge from Rising MADISON, Wis. – Electric bills for customers of Madison Gas and Electric Co. are poised to fall under a far-reaching settlement negotiated by MG&E, the Citizens Utility Board and other energy stakeholders. Under the agreement, which MG&E is filing with the state Public Service Commission, MG&E’s electricity costs are poised to drop by about 2%, or more than $7 million, in 2019 and remain at that lower level in 2020. “Bringing costs down is critical for customers in Wisconsin, where power rates consistently rank in the top 15 in the country,” said Tom Content, executive director of the Citizens Utility Board of Wisconsin. “Entering into settlement discussions, we challenged MG&E to think beyond just holding rates flat – asking the utility to look for opportunities to reverse the trend of seemingly ever-increasing utility rates in Wisconsin. We view this settlement as a down payment toward sustained savings for customers. “MG&E has delivered a quality first step in that direction. There’s a lot for customers to like about this deal: Not only will MGE customers see lower rates, they will also see no move to increase the fixed charge on customers’ monthly bills over the next two years. Stopping the trend of increasing customer charges has been a priority for CUB and CUB members,” Content said. The settlement is the second to be filed by a utility with the PSC this year under the settlements legislation that the Legislature adopted early this year. CUB and Wisconsin Power & Light Co. (Alliant Energy) reached an agreement in May that keeps WP&L’s overall rates and the fixed customer charge unchanged for the next two years. “Customer charges send the wrong signals to customers interested in saving on their bills by becoming more efficient,” said Content. “We’re glad that we’ve made progress with both MGE and Alliant Energy’s WPL utility on this issue. It’s clearly a win for customers.” Under the settlement, MGE will also accelerate the depreciation of certain, older, fossil fuel power plants. “We’re happy that the settlement negotiation process provided an opportunity to explore new ways of managing MG&E’s costs, and ultimately the rates the utility’s customers pay. We hope that getting some of these older, less efficient, power plants off the utility’s books a few years sooner than expected will provide opportunities to continue to lower MG&E’s rates, or allow for investment in lower cost, cleaner power,’’ said Content. “MG&E has taken a step in the right direction by lowering rates for the next two years, and we hope that trend continues.” As part of the settlement with MG&E, the utility and CUB will continue to work together to design innovative rate options and alternatives that aim to replace high fixed charges with different and better options for customers in and near Madison. MG&E has also pledged to continue to explore new product offerings that expand customer service options and allow customers greater opportunities to reduce usage during times of high electricity costs. More information about those alternatives is expected to be available later this year, once the details of the new pilot rate options have been ironed out. The proposed settlement and new rate options must still be approved by the PSC. The PSC will review the settlement proposal in the coming months, after allowing stakeholders that did not sign on to the agreement to weigh in on whether they support or object to it. Savings linked to corporate tax reform enacted last year by Congress helped make this year’s settlements possible. What also helped make the settlements work was the willingness by MG&E and WPL to work with CUB early on and in a process that allowed for plenty of give and take, Content said. “The settlements that CUB has signed on to this year with Alliant and MG&E were only possible because these utilities were willing to negotiate openly and honestly and then provide all parties whatever information was needed to be assured that a good deal had been struck,” Content said. “Whether you judge them by the end product or the process, these deals are clearly a win.” # # #
May 25, 2018: Alliant Customers to Benefit from Settlement
For Immediate Release: May 25, 2018 More Information: Tom Content, 608-251-3322 x. 12, 414-550-4712 (cell) CUB: Alliant Customers Can Expect Savings from Settlement with Customer Groups, Tax Reform MADISON, Wis. — The Citizens Utility Board is pleased to have reached a settlement with Alliant Energy Corp. that would bring base rates back to 2017 levels and help customers take advantage of savings from federal tax reform. “This is a good deal for small business and residential customers of Alliant. We appreciate that the utility was willing to share information early with the state’s customer groups, and then made an effort to collaborate and compromise. That made a settlement possible,” said Tom Content, executive director of Citizens Utility Board of Wisconsin, the state’s independent consumer voice. “It’s encouraging to see a low-cost utility in Wisconsin poised to remain that way. Wisconsin utilities have been seeking higher and higher fixed charges, which makes customers pay even more before they turn on a light switch. With this settlement the Alliant fixed fee won’t go up,” Content said. Customer groups have reached settlements with other power companies in the past. However, this is the first settlement filed under a new state law that formalizes how settlements are reached at the PSC. Under the new process, now that Alliant has reached a settlement with two groups — CUB and the Wisconsin Industrial Energy Group – the utility now must meet with other parties in the case to see if they are on board. Those parties may object to or support the settlement before it is considered by the Public Service Commission. Tax reform will help bring rates back to 2017 levels through 2020 if this deal is approved. In addition, customers will see an added benefit from tax reform with bill credits appearing soon. “Given the focus both here in Wisconsin and around the country about grid modernization and rapid changes in the energy world, we are pleased that Alliant has agreed to collaborate with customers — through CUB and WIEG – on development of innovative concepts that it hopes to implement in the years ahead,” Content said. The settlement agreement is available at psc.wi.gov under Docket 6680-UR-121 # # #
December 7, 2017: Xcel Energy customers face higher fixed fees
For Immediate Release: December 7, 2017 More Information: Tom Content, 608-251-3322 x. 12, 414-550-4712 (cell) CUB: Xcel Energy customers face higher fixed fees, PSC misses opportunity to rein in monopoly profits MADISON, Wis. — Xcel Energy customers will see higher utility costs, including an electric rate hike for the ninth straight year, in 2018. A decision Thursday by the state Public Service Commission didn’t go far enough to reduce the utility’s profit or rein in high fixed charges for the utility’s customers, the Citizens Utility Board said. The PSC decided to increase electric rates by 1.4%, with residential customers expected to see an increase of 2% and small business customers expected to see an increase of 1.5%. Local natural gas charges will also rise, by 8.3%. But the commission missed a big opportunity to bring down profits for Xcel and its Northern States Power utility, which serves La Crosse, Eau Claire and other parts of western and northern Wisconsin. The PSC set the utility’s profit, or return on equity, at 9.8%, down from its current level of 10%. CUB’s expert assessed the utility’s financials and concluded a return of 9% would have been appropriate. “It was disappointing to hear members of the Commission say they found CUB’s arguments for a 9% return to be convincing, yet still vote for the smallest possible adjustment that could be justified based on the evidence in this case,” said Tom Content, CUB executive director. CUB’s expert and Commission staff presented evidence that financial models and market trends have resulted in lower utility returns nationwide. While it expressed a desire to align returns for Wisconsin utilities with the market, the Commission ultimately argued that the principle of “gradualism” dictated a much more modest adjustment. “What we saw in this case in that the downward trend in utility returns that we’ve seen over the last few years has continued. But the meager adjustments the Commission has been making to utility profits have been outpaced by market trends, Content said “Wisconsin utilities’ profits have been far above the national average for too long, and only recently have begun to be brought down closer to the national average,” Content said. “Given the state of the economy and sustained low interest rates and the risk profile for Wisconsin’s utilities, these last few years represent a lost opportunity to produce tangible savings for customers by bringing profits in line with those earned by utilities in other states.” CUB’s proposal of a 9% return would have produced tangible savings of at least $10 million for Xcel customers. While the return in 2018 will be below 10%, it’s still above the national average, which was 9.7% in 2016. Most other Wisconsin utilities continue to have their profits set at 10% or higher. The other key decision made today was to enact another increase in the fixed customer charge for Xcel’s Wisconsin customers. Xcel proposed a whopping 115% increase in the electricity fixed charge two years ago, and when it didn’t get everything it sought it came back for more this year. The fixed charge in January will go up to $17 a month for Xcel customers, the full amount requested by Xcel, up from $14 today. CUB argued to keep the fixed charge at $14. “Xcel customers came to the public hearing and objected to the increase, and we argued that the customer charges should stay where they are because the current rates are supported by the full range of evidence in this case. In siding all the way with the utility on increased fixed charges, it feels like the Commission is consistently applying its gradualism principle in a way that favors the utilities at the customers’ expense,” said Content. What’s striking, CUB noted, is the contrast between the stance of Wisconsin regulators on fixed fees and the actions of regulators in other states, where fixed fees are not climbing significantly. As an example, an Xcel customer who lives in a three-bedroom house in Minnesota just across the river from Hudson is paying a lower fixed fee than last year. But the owners of a similar home on the Wisconsin side of the river are seeing a 21% increase in their fixed fee come January (Attention Reporters and Editors: An audio replay of the PSC meeting is available through this evening at psc.wi.gov.) ###