Energy News
Monday, July 1st, 2013
The City of Chicago has a introduced an ordinance that would require commercial and residential buildings greater than 50,000 square feet to disclose their energy use over the next few years. CNT Energy has benchmarked more than 43 million square feet of commercial, municipal, and multifamily building stock over the years and have written a primer on benchmarking. Additionally, CNT Energy recently completed a project with Cook County to benchmark 33 of its municipal buildings. CNT Energy found that Cook County has saved more than $3 million in utility costs from 2010 to 2012 with no- and low-cost efficiency improvements.
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Thursday, June 20th, 2013
Small multifamily buildings – those with two, three, or four units – are common in the Chicago area. They represent 39 percent of Chicago metropolitan urban housing and 33 percent of Cook County housing, overall.
Improving the efficiency of these small multifamily buildings means less energy is required to maintain comfortable living spaces. Reducing energy consumption can help building owners and their tenants save money and contribute to a healthier environment.
Despite the prevalence of this building type, energy efficiency programs geared for small multifamily buildings have historically been lacking. In addition, building owners often don’t have the opportunity to identify the best ways to improve their buildings, and often lack the capital or access to financing to invest in money-saving improvements.
Read more »
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Wednesday, March 27th, 2013
In a recent post, we highlighted a report that shows how energy efficiency upgrades in multifamily buildings could save building owners and residents up to $3.4 billion annually. Despite this, the multifamily building sector represents a mostly untapped opportunity for energy efficiency gains amongst traditional utility-run programs.
One reason for this is because the multifamily market has unique challenges that must be addressed in order to deliver effective programs. The good news is, we have a roadmap and there are partners along the way to help utilities capitalize on the enormous opportunity for energy savings that exists in the multifamily housing sector.
A new report we released along with the American Council for an Energy-Efficient Economy (ACEEE), Engaging as Partners: Introducing Utilities to the Energy Efficiency Needs of Multifamily Buildings and Their Owners, examines the factors that contribute to effective energy efficiency program design for multifamily buildings and recommends strategies that can help utilities design and implement energy efficiency programs. Read more »
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Friday, March 15th, 2013
Large apartment buildings represent a significant and mostly untapped opportunity for energy efficiency gains according to a bevy of reports out by researchers in the field. Traditional utility-run energy efficiency programs tend to focus on single family homes or commercial office buildings, leaving multifamily buildings across the United States wasting billions of dollars unnecessarily each year.
In 2012, we conducted a study with the American Council for an Energy-Efficient Economy (ACEEE) which shows that energy efficiency upgrades in multifamily buildings could save building owners and residents up to $3.4 billion annually. These upgrades help maintain affordable housing, decrease financial risk for lenders, and improve tenant comfort. But, building owners often have problems finding technical assistance, financing, or qualified contractors to upgrade their buildings. Read more »
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Friday, February 1st, 2013
CNT’s affiliate, CNT Energy, hit a milestone this month:more than 10,000 apartment units in the Chicago metropolitan area have been retrofitted with energy efficiency improvements through its Energy Savers program. Energy Savers, a one-stop shop that helps multifamily building owners make energy efficiency improvements to their properties, saves building owners 30 percent on utility costs on average ($10,000 per year for a 24-unit building), allowing landlords to keep rents reasonable because of those savings. Additionally, the program has cut more than 13,000 metric tons of carbon dioxide, created nearly 400 jobs, and provided nearly $10 million in loans and grants to complete the building improvements.
Lou Sopcic owns a 96-unit building located in the Rogers Park neighborhood of Chicago. “Going through the Energy Savers program made owning this building viable,” said Sopcic. “Energy efficiency for this building is the difference between being able to balance expenses and losing our property.” The savings helped Sopcic preserve nearly 100 units of affordable housing. Read more »
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Thursday, January 24th, 2013
With especially stretched budgets, and a commitment to keeping tenant rents low, it only makes sense for affordable housing providers to reduce their operating costs through energy efficiency upgrades. Yet, the affordable housing community utilizes energy efficiency resources at a disproportionately low rate compared to other types of housing. Why?
A recent blog post CNT Energy co-wrote with Focus on Energy addresses this quandary. It explores key themes essential to better integration with affordable housing, including language employed, division of duties, and timing.
Read the complete post here>>
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Friday, January 18th, 2013
As part of the “fiscal cliff” legislation signed into law early this year, Congress provided a number of 2012 and 2013 tax credits for home energy efficiency improvements. These tax credits, coupled with financial incentives available for energy efficiency improvements, make right now a lucrative time to invest in home energy efficiency.
You’ll get twice the deal when you take advantage of an incentive program from Energy Impact Illinois, an alliance to help Illinois residents lower energy costs. The program helps you reduce energy bills and also provides financial incentives to make recommended improvements to your home. If you enroll in the program and install energy efficiency measures this year, you’ll receive an instant rebate of up to $1750 from Energy Impact Illinois and your local utility and, you can now also claim a credit of up to $500 for the very same improvements, so long as the improvements are eligible under the tax extension. Read more »
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Tuesday, December 18th, 2012
Credit Flickr User "ricardodiaz11"
Municipal aggregation is in the news, most recently in light of Chicago City Council’s 50-0 vote approving the bulk electricity buying plan.
The plan will save customers money over ComEd’s fixed price rate. A positive result of aggregation is that it may encourage folks to think about their own power and usage, perhaps for the first time. And knowledge is key when it comes to informed decision-making by Chicago residents and small businesses. Read more »
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Friday, November 30th, 2012
The ComEd Residential Real-Time Pricing (RRTP) program has a brand new look. The RRTP program gives you access to hourly, real-time electricity prices, but it is more than just a different electricity rate. The program also provides information and customer support to help you make the most of real-time electricity pricing.
ComEd recently brought on CNT Energy as the program administrator for the RRTP program. CNT Energy will provide the added services, tools, and information that RRTP participants receive, along with a team of specialists to answer your questions. For RRTP participants, ComEd will continue to supply your power, respond to service calls, and issue your bill. Read more »
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Wednesday, October 31st, 2012
Hurricane Sandy’s massive impact on the east coast is a reminder that global warming is a defining issue of our generation and we need effective action. Addressing climate change and creating sustainable energy security are the biggest opportunities for new jobs and industries, a dynamic economy, lasting peace and a better quality of life for our children. Yet, the 2012 Presidential campaign has largely ignored these pressing issues. The 2012 Presidential Climate Action Plan lays out a set of strategies for the next president to use executive authority to help the country address global climate change even in the face of legislative inaction. Read more »
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