CUB Earth Week News Conference to Reveal Energy Efficiency Contest Results

CHICAGO, April 17, 2012 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- Evanston Mayor Elizabeth Tisdahl and the Citizens Utility Board (CUB) will hold an Earth Week news conference Wednesday, April 18, to announce the results of a unique energy-efficiency contest that used the talents of a prominent university, two hospitals and a high school to save enough electricity to power more than 740 refrigerators for an entire year.

CUB also will announce a new initiative that will reward a month of free electricity to one in every 10 Chicago-area consumers who sign up for CUBenergysaver.com, a free cutting-edge online service that helps people cut their energy bills, before June. The news conference is:   

            1:30 p.m., Wednesday, April 18 
            Evanston Ecology Center
            2024 McCormick Blvd.
            Evanston

The yearlong "Big 7 Savers Challenge" pitted Evanston's top seven employers in a race to see which could recruit the most participants and achieve the biggest average per-person energy savings. Mayor Tisdahl will announce how much total energy, money and carbon-dioxide pollution was saved because of the "Big 7" teams–from Saint Francis Hospital, Rotary International, Northwestern University, NorthShore University HealthSystem, Evanston School District 65, Evanston Township High School, and the City of Evanston.

CUBenergysaver.com was the first free online service in the country to give households a personalized plan to cut their utility bills, track real savings by connecting to ComEd accounts, and reward families with shopping discounts for reducing their electricity usage. CUB hopes other communities will use the free service to reduce their residents' electric bills and improve the environment.

CUB is Illinois' leading nonprofit utility watchdog organization. Created by the Illinois Legislature, CUB opened its doors in 1984 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 or visit www.CitizensUtilityBoard.org.

SOURCE Citizens Utility Board