The Citizens Utility Board of Wisconsin is hosting an educational webinar on Wednesday Sept. 17th, 2025 designed to help Wisconsin residential utility customers save money. In this webinar we will be going back to the energy basics and will cover foundational utility concepts, practical energy-saving measures, and we will showcase Wisconsin programs that are available to help consumers. Topics include an introduction to CUB's mission and advocacy, an explanation of utility rate cases and how consumers can participate, actionable tips for reducing energy consumption in the home, and an overview of programs and resources from Wisconsin’s Focus on Energy program. The aim of the webinar is to empower Wisconsin utility customers with knowledge and strategies to save money while managing their energy use.
Tom joined the Citizens Utility Board in 2017 after working for more than 30 years as a journalist. He became interested in energy and what it costs households while sitting in the back seat, waiting for what seemed like forever, during the gas lines of the ‘70s. After graduating from Boston University’s College of Communication Tom worked at newspapers in Massachusetts and Pennsylvania before moving to Wisconsin. He reported on utilities and worked as business editor at the Green Bay-Press Gazette in the 1990s and then moved to Milwaukee, where he covered energy, utilities and sustainable business for the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel. His reporting on energy and climate change won the National Press Club’s Stokes Award for Energy Writing in 2007. Tom and his family live in Glendale.
So many reasons. As a journalist I always wrote about energy with consumers in mind, focusing on what they care about most. This fueled my desire to lead and reinvigorate CUB in a time of dramatic change in the energy world. Technological change in other parts of the economy is happening with energy, too, which makes it an exciting yet unsettling time. What thrills me about leading CUB is that we are giving consumers, from homeowners to apartment dwellers to small businesses, a voice in ensuring that policies and changes in the utility sector put customers first.
From a big picture perspective, why is CUB important to the state of Wisconsin?
Having an independent consumer voice is critical for Wisconsin’s system of regulating utilities to work effectively. Wisconsin was a pioneer in utility regulation as the first state in the nation to create a Public Service Commission (PSC) to regulate utilities, and the first state in the nation to create a Citizens Utility Board to ensure that the voice of the people is heard when the PSC regulates utilities.
CUB’s important for another critical reason, and that’s how unique our small non-profit organization is. Forty-four states use a state government agency like the Attorney General’s office or the Office of People’s Counsel to advocate on behalf of homeowners and renters in utility cases. And some of those states, including neighboring states Illinois, Michigan and Minnesota, have multiple advocates, including a non-profit group like CUB plus a state government agency! But Wisconsin is just one of two states, along with Oregon, that relies on CUB alone to do this essential work. That’s why our role as Your Independent Consumer Voice is so critical to making utility service fair, safe, reliable and affordable for us all.
Hello there! I am David Erickson, Energy Advisor with Focus On Energy. As the multifamily outreach representative for Southeast Wisconsin, I specialize in helping building owners and tenants enhance their homes by upgrading to energy-efficient equipment. Outside of work, I enjoy live music, gardening and coaching my children’s teams.
Lisa Geason-Bauer, Sustainability Educator - Evolution Marketing
Lisa Geason-Bauer is the president of Evolution Marketing, a Wisconsin-based woman-owned Certified B Corporation® specializing in the area of sustainability consulting, impact storytelling, environmentally responsible creative design, and ethical marketing.
Lisa is a sustainability, ESG practitioner and has been helping companies tell their impact stories for over a decade. As a consultant she has worked on projects in supply chain sustainability (i.e. product transparency), social sustainability (i.e. workforce engagement, culture and DEI), renewable energy, energy efficiency and the green building space. Lisa is a co-founder of B Local Wisconsin and the current President. B Local Wisconsin’s nonprofit mission is to connect, support, and educate Wisconsin businesses on how to drive positive commnuity impact through adoption of sustainable and inclusive practices. In 2023, Lisa was part of the first cohort of US & Canadian B Consultants to complete the new B Lab US & Canada Trained B Consultants Program.
Leah Steinberg, a University of Wisconsin, Madison graduate, specializes in strategic marketing, impact reporting, social media planning, community outreach, and sustainability consulting. With a strong commitment to the environment, Leah has developed expertise in third-party certifications, particularly the B Corp certification. In addition, Leah has also obtained a Certificate in Sustainable Business Strategy from Harvard Business School Online, strengthening her ability to integrate sustainable practices into marketing and communications.
