ComEd, Elevate, and Illinois Green have been selected to receive a $4.5 million grant from the United States Department of Energy (DOE) to launch a new Chicago building performance Hub that will advance sustainable building practices across Illinois. The Hub will provide advisory services to building owners and contractors to support them in complying with advanced energy codes and building policies, such as building electrification.
“The DOE grant award reinforces the already strong collaboration between ComEd and our partners across the region who are committed to lowering harmful greenhouse gas emissions across our communities,” said Gil C. Quiniones, CEO of ComEd. “This work is critical to the clean energy transition in northern Illinois and throughout the state, and the new Building Performance Hub will play a key role in reducing our reliance on fossil fuels and creating a cleaner future for all.”
The Hub will provide building owners and developers with advisory services to help make meeting advanced decarbonization goals more cost-effective and training on new electrification measures. The Hub will also provide support to building stakeholders on how to leverage available resources, such as layering utility energy efficiency incentives with the Inflation Reduction Act’s available funding opportunities.
“The Hub will reach a diverse cross-section of building professionals in Illinois with the education and training to make improving building performance easy and cost effective,” said Brian Imus, Executive Director of Illinois Green. “The focus is on technical and actionable resources that will ensure our region can meet aggressive climate action goals within the building sector while building an inclusive green economy.”
The new building performance Hub supports both the Illinois Climate and Equitable Jobs Act, which calls for a significant reduction in carbon emissions by 2050, and Chicago’s Climate Action Plan, which calls for residential decarbonization targets and updated building codes to guide new construction.
"Buildings represent the largest source of Chicago's GHG emissions, and Mayor Johnson is committed to equitably transitioning our buildings to a cleaner, healthier future," said Angela Tovar, the City of Chicago's Chief Sustainability Officer. "We can only achieve the ambitious goals of our Climate Action Plan through partnerships like this Building Performance Hub. Equitable decarbonization means connecting Chicagoans to financial and technical resources that provide support at every step along the way."
