Why are these utilities providing the Multi-Family Energy Savings offering?
ComEd, Nicor Gas, Peoples Gas and North Shore Gas have partnered to help customers take control of their energy use, save money and support the environment. These offerings include free and discounted energy improvements for qualifying customers.
What’s included in this offering?
The Multi-Family Energy Savings offering provides technical and financial assistance to help property owners and public housing authorities make energy efficiency improvements. Eligible properties may qualify for free or incentivized comprehensive energy-saving improvements in common areas and tenant spaces.
Free or discounted products include:
- Free LED bulbs
- Free programmable or smart thermostats
- Incentives for boiler replacements and other HVAC system upgrades
- Weatherization improvements
- Heat pumps
- And more!
Properties that meet qualification guidelines may receive:
- Free energy assessments performed by one of our energy advisors. The assessment is a free visual inspection that helps determine ways you can save energy throughout your property. The energy advisor will identify savings opportunities in your property’s common areas and examine your equipment including domestic hot water and space heating and cooling systems. They will also assess a sample tenant space with you to identify more energy-saving opportunities. Following the assessment, the energy advisor will provide you with a personalized report that contains energy-saving tips and additional ways to save money and energy. The report also identifies the free energy-saving products you may be eligible for and information on available incentives for energy efficient upgrades.
- You will be assigned a project lead as a single point of contact, who will guide you throughout the entire process. Your single point of contact will help you select cost-effective solutions and manage bids from qualified contractors. We will provide ongoing construction oversight, project guidance, and will follow up with you once work is complete
- Installation of free or discounted energy-saving products, such as LED bulbs, WaterSense® certified showerheads and faucet aerators, smart or programmable thermostats (depending on eligibility), advanced power strips, and more, in tenant units. You may elect to either have the products delivered to maintenance staff for their installation or installed by our program team. Weatherization services, LED lighting, thermostats, heat pumps, boiler tune-ups and more are free or discounted for common areas and will be installed by an approved program contractor.
- Incentives for larger projects, such as boiler upgrades, variable speed drive (VSD) motor upgrades, heat pumps, select appliances, and HVAC improvements. Installations are completed by participating contractors.
How does my property qualify for these energy upgrades?
To qualify for the Multi-Family Energy Savings offering, the property must have three or more units and be located within an area served by ComEd and/or Nicor Gas, Peoples Gas or North Shore Gas. See below for more detailed eligibility qualifications based on program path.
There are three primary ways that a property may qualify for income-based incentives. Customers are encouraged to call the Multi-Family Energy Savings program directly to speak with a representative to determine whether your property is eligible.
- Properties may qualify based on where the building is located (census tract). The census tract must have a median household income less than or equal to 80% AMI for that metropolitan statistical area (MSA) or county (using a 50% density threshold). This map from the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) gives a general sense of where many of the income eligible properties are located. Many buildings, however, qualify that are outside of income-eligible regions on this map.
- If the tenants or the property receive any housing financial assistance (e.g., Section 8 vouchers, Chicago Low Income Trust Fund, Tax Credits), the property may qualify. See a full list of the financial subsidy programs here. Note, vouchers should be applicable to 25% or more of units.
- If at least 25% of rents charged for tenant units is less than the market rate, the property may qualify. These resources for Chicago or non-Chicago buildings can be used to compare the rent charged.
If your property does not meet income eligibility, it still may qualify for other incentives in the offering through the market-rate path.
What is a multi-family energy assessment?
The multi-family assessment is a free inspection of your property’s energy usage. An energy advisor will walk through the tenant units and common areas of the building and will collect data on energy-saving opportunities, including lighting, domestic hot water and space heating and air conditioning systems. To identify opportunities for energy savings in tenant units, the energy advisor will also need access to five percent of the property’s living units.
Following the assessment, the energy advisor will provide you with a personalized report that identifies the free energy-saving products you may be eligible for and information on available incentives and rebates available for energy efficient upgrades. The report also contains energy-savings tips and additional ways to save money and energy.
Smart thermostats may be available for free or at a discounted price and can be installed in your tenant units or common areas. Your energy advisor will review this option with you after your assessment appointment.
Additional energy efficiency recommendations and incentives for completing suggested improvements within common areas are also available and will be reviewed with you once your initial assessment is completed. The Multi-Family Energy Savings offering provides technical and financial assistance to help property owners and public housing authorities make energy efficiency improvements. Eligible properties may qualify for free or incentivized comprehensive energy-saving improvements in common areas and tenant spaces.
Individual cost savings are not guaranteed and may vary based on weather, usage habits and energy rates.
Who will perform the assessment?
An energy advisor will perform the assessment. All energy advisors are approved program contractors and will have a program badge to identify themselves.
How long is the assessment appointment?
The assessment typically lasts 30-60 minutes and may vary depending on the size of your building.
What time of the year is the best to schedule an assessment?
Energy advisors perform assessments all year long to identify energy efficiency improvements and install energy-saving products. Every day is a good day for you to start lowering your energy use and saving money.