A Lombard resident who in the heat of summer signed up for CUB Energy Saver, a free online service that helps people slash their utility bills, is getting a big payoff just in time for the cold winter: $300 in free electricity.
Kristy Zelewsky, of Lombard, says she was surprised to win a special CUB Energy Saver drawing that covered her summer electricity expenses.
“I knew that just joining the CUB Energy Saver program would pay off anyway by following all the great advice you give to consumers,” Zelewsky said. “But this was an added perk that I never imagined I would get.”
CUB Energy Saver, www.CUBEnergySaver.com, created in a partnership between the Citizens Utility Board (CUB) and New York City-based Efficiency 2.0, recommends hundreds of actions that have been helping families of all incomes slash their electric and natural gas bills by an average of $130 a year. What makes the service unique in the nation is a rewards program that allows people to track their actual energy savings and get shopping and restaurant discounts if they cut electricity use.
“CUB Energy Saver helps customers cut their utility bills, it gives them rewards for being energy efficient, and now it’s given a Lombard resident the gift of free electricity this holiday season,” CUB Executive Director David Kolata said. “It pays to be energy efficient.”
To celebrate its one-year anniversary last June, CUB Energy Saver held a drawing for about 1,400 Illinois residents who joined the online service that month. The top prize was a summer of free electricity (June-August), up to $500. Zelewsky’s name was among the 70 winners who recently received their prize money.
Zelewsky, whose summer bills totaled $300.22, said she joined CUB Energy Saver because the chance to win a summer of free power was “too hard to pass up,” and she’s now a big fan of the site.
“CUB Energy Saver makes it easy for me to learn about ways to save on my energy usage and lower my costs,” Zelewsky said. “And I think it is nice to be able to track my progress.”
Lombard has been one of the most energy-efficient communities in Illinois, with 188 CUB Energy Saver members who have used the online service to cut their electricity use by 90,475 kilowatt-hours and save $10,097.
“Lombard is one of the best communities we have taking part in CUB Energy Saver, and we hope to get more residents to sign up for the free service in 2012,” Kolata said. “The word is out: Energy efficiency isn’t just good for the planet, it’s great for our pocketbooks.”
CUB is Illinois’ leading nonprofit utility watchdog organization. It was created by the Illinois legislature in 1983 to represent the interests of residential and small-business utility customers. Since then, CUB has saved consumers more than $10 billion by helping to block rate hikes and secure refunds. For more information, call CUB’s Consumer Hotline at 1-800-669-5556.
Efficiency 2.0 is a leading energy efficiency software and program administration company. It delivers efficiency and demand response benefits to utility and government partners by maximizing household engagement. Efficiency 2.0’s programs and software help consumers and businesses across the country better manage their energy costs. For more information, visit www.efficiency20.com.
