Energy News
Thursday, May 26th, 2011
Photo from GreenMLS Toolkit – www.greenthemls.org
CNT and our affiliates are dedicated to making communities more economically and environmentally sustainable and providing information that helps people make more informed decisions. That includes making the energy use of our buildings more apparent so people know what they’re getting into when purchasing a new home.
CNT Energy is at the forefront of efforts to make energy information transparent to the real estate market and to get the market to place greater value on energy efficiency. The efforts are making an impact from national best practices to the local scene. Read more »
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Thursday, April 28th, 2011
For a limited time, Chicago homeowners can receive up to $1,000 for participating in a Peoples Gas air-sealing program. Properly air sealing a building can significantly reduce heating and cooling costs, improve building durability, create a healthier indoor environment and increase the occupants’ comfort level.
The program includes a pre-work inspection and radon test by auditors from CNT Energy, who refer owners to a qualified contractor. The auditors return after the work is completed to ensure airflow reduction targets are met and homeowners are seeing results. Read more »
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Wednesday, March 23rd, 2011
Chicago is once again near the top of the list of U.S. cities with the most Energy Star® certified buildings, taking 4th place with 232 Energy Star buildings. The number of Energy Star buildings in Chicago increased by 73 percent, from 134 to 232, between 2009 and 2010 and Chicago’s ranking has improved each year since the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) began publishing this list, up from 5th place in 2009 and 6th place in 2008.
“It is encouraging that the number of energy efficient buildings in Chicago continues to increase and we expect this trend continues and hope that Chicago is soon at the top of the list” says Anne Evens, Executive Director of CNT Energy. Read more »
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Thursday, February 24th, 2011
As the national debate on smart grid technologies rages, Illinois’ real-time pricing programs can serve as a valuable lesson to the nation. These programs have reduced participant’s electric usage and bills and are shifting usage to non-peak times of day, when electricity is cheaper to produce and our infrastructure is less congested. However, to lower electricity prices and improve reliability for everyone, the programs must have enough participants to significantly impact electricity markets. So far, Illinois’ programs have not garnered as much participation as anticipated. Consequently, they are not living up to their potential to benefit customers. Read more »
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Wednesday, December 15th, 2010
Each profile includes annual emissions inventory by sector - a starting point for the development of a municipal sustainability or climate action plan
Last year, CNT began conducting workshops for communities with technical questions about their Energy Efficiency and Conservation Block Grant (EECBG) Program federal money and to identify best practices, kicking off the Municipal Energy Profile Project (MEPP) for the 7-county Chicago region. This week, CNT Energy has released the results of MEPP, an effort to produce customized Municipal Energy Profiles for 283 communities in the Chicago metropolitan region.
The Municipal Energy Profiles provide unprecedented collections of information that local leaders can use to understand energy use in their communities, reduce energy expenses, and measure progress toward environmental goals. These reports are especially timely given the federal and state energy efficiency dollars and other funding opportunities that are currently available to local municipalities. Read more »
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Tuesday, December 7th, 2010
On December 1, building owners, contractors, and local elected official gathered at the Howard Apartment Building in Chicago’s Wicker Park neighborhood to learn about the Energy Savers program, one of the most effective energy efficiency programs in the country. Energy Savers is a project of CNT Energy and the Community Investment Corporation (CIC). The program offers a one-stop shop that helps building owners navigate the complexities of investing in energy efficiency. Read more »
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Monday, October 18th, 2010
The Chicago Metropolitan Agency for Planning (CMAP) has selected CNT Energy to coordinate the implementation of a $25 million dollar federal grant that will fund more than 8,000 energy efficiency retrofits, leverage more than $500 million in local investments, and create more than 2,000 jobs.
The program, known as the Chicago Region Retrofit Ramp-up (CR3), is part of the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (ARRA). CNT Energy leads a team that includes the Chicago Jobs Council (CJC), Shaw Group, Delta Institute and Renewable Funding. The team will put its nationally recognized planning, researching and retrofitting capabilities to work removing barriers that prevent large-scale participation in the retrofit marketplace. Read more »
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Friday, July 16th, 2010
As more companies like GE and Siemens delve deeply into the technological opportunities to be gained from a smart grid, CNT and other advocates stress that a smart grid will not be economically viable unless customer benefits are included as fundamental components.
As it stands, most discussions of infrastructure investment do not include customer benefits anywhere near the beginning of the discussion. Because many smart grid investments need to rely on consumer benefits as well as system benefits for a strong business case, lack of a robust consumer-oriented strategy weakens the argument for smart grid investments. Read more »
Posted in Energy, Featured Portfolio News, Illinois Smart Grid Initiative | 1 Comment »
Wednesday, April 21st, 2010
Congratulations to the Chicago Metropolitan Agency for Planning (CMAP) and its partners, City of Chicago and City of Rockford, for receipt of a $25 million Department of Energy (DOE) “Retrofit Ramp-Up” award. This award recognizes the work that is being done in the Chicago area and will help expand implementation of energy efficiency programs across the region.
“This grant represents unprecedented new opportunities for the Chicago region to accelerate efforts for high performing energy efficiency initiatives,” said Scott Bernstein, President of CNT, who attended today’s announcement at the White House. “This award will help organizations around the region to expand existing initiatives and create new ones that save real money for households and building owners while also reducing our region’s carbon footprint.”
Read more »
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Wednesday, February 10th, 2010
The Preservation Compact announced that CNT Energy’s innovative energy efficiency program, Cook County Energy Savers, is proving that residential energy retrofits can scale-up quickly, reaching thousands of residents and delivering cost-effective, large-scale benefits.
In just 18 months, Energy Savers has retrofitted 3,500 apartments and other rental units in Chicago and neighboring communities, typically cutting energy consumption by 30 percent. The program has more than 2,500 units in construction and is on track to complete more than 8,500 retrofits by the end of this year, making it one of the country’s largest and most successful programs for retrofitting existing multi-family, rental housing. Read more »
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