About Us

 

The Citizens Utility Board (CUB) of Minnesota is a nonprofit advocate for our state’s utility consumers. We advocate for affordable utility service, consumer protections, and clean energy. 

CUB aims to be a voice for Minnesotans at the state Public Utilities Commission and the legislature. We work for a rapid, cost-effective transition to clean energy that benefits the public – including communities that have long borne the negative impacts of our energy systems. We fight for affordable rates and stand up to utility companies and their shareholders. 

CUB is also a resource for Minnesota consumers. Our expert staff advises hundreds of Minnesotans each year on their rights, resources, and responsibilities to avoid utility shutoffs or get service reconnected. CUB consultations help people reduce home energy expenses, figure out the best options for renewable energy, and answer whatever home energy-related questions they may have. We provide information and resources in partnership with communities and organizations throughout the state. 

CUB’s role as a consumer advocate drives us to address historic and persistent inequities in energy systems. We seek to align power and resources equitably both within our organization and externally in the systems in which we advocate. (Read more about CUB’s commitment to equity.) 

Here are a few examples of our work.

• CUB’s outreach team provides individual consultations, utility bill clinics, and presentations in person and virtually. Behind on your bills and worried about being shut off? Want to reduce your monthly bills? Interested in the latest in Minnesota energy policy? We can help. Contact us at 651-300-4701, info@cubminnesota.org, or Facebook Messenger.
• CUB helped save Minnesotans nearly $60 million from the natural gas price spike of February 2021. We’re continuing to fight to make sure gas companies aren’t overspending ratepayer money or unnecessarily locking us into long-term fossil fuel investments. 
• CUB worked with low-income advocates and the state’s regulated utilities to negotiate a shutoff moratorium, fee waivers, and consumer protections during the COVID pandemic. We’ve consulted with hundreds of customers of unregulated cooperative and municipal utilities to help them advocate for their rights and avoid disconnection.
• CUB successfully petitioned the PUC to adopt Open Data Access Standards, requiring utilities to share data needed to address emissions and inequities. The Standards require utilities to share privacy-protected data that can be used for community greenhouse gas action plans and many other purposes. We’re continuing to push for access to anonymized energy usage data, which is needed to uncover long-standing inequities in how the costs and benefits of energy systems are distributed. Similar data access allowed the Illinois CUB to uncover, for example, that low-income households typically pay more than their fair share in electricity bills — and would be better off under renewables-friendly time-of-use rates. 

Visit our blog for the latest updates on this work and much more, and contact us anytime. CUB is primarily funded by grants and donations. If you appreciate our work, please contribute today.