ComEd and Nicor Gas have partnered to offer a comprehensive New Construction Service to the development, design and construction communities. The New Construction Service offers assistance and financial incentives of up to $200,000 for design features, equipment and systems that save electricity and natural gas.
If a owner or developer is building or renovating a industrial or commercial facility in northern Illinois, the energy giants are teaming up to offer incentives to make the facilities more energy efficient.
ComEd started the New Construction Service as part of its Smart Ideas for Your Business program in 2009. As of June 2011, Nicor Gas has joined with ComEd to offer incentives and services for natural gas efficiency measures to ComEd customers also receiving Nicor Gas service.
All funding is based on program year availability. Participants are encouraged to submit projects early to receive full benefit from energy saving services and incentives – as much as 10 cents per kWh and 50 cents per therm saved, depending on the project.
The New Construction Service combines education, expert technical support and financial incentives to encourage building owners and design teams to exceed standard building practices to build high performance facilities in the ComEd and Nicor Gas service territories. New construction or major renovation projects in northern Illinois are eligible for up to $200,000 in incentives per project. The program is designed for office, hospital, school, university, warehouse, restaurant, retail and nonprofit facilities.
The New Construction Service offers access to engineers, architects and building science experts from the Energy Center of Wisconsin. These energy professionals can help building owners and design teams evaluate and pursue cost-effective energy saving ideas and alternatives. Provided at no cost to participants, professional services are customized to the needs of the project, and may include:
- Identification of energy-efficient lighting and HVAC equipment
- Energy modeling or whole-building energy simulations
- Evaluation of advanced energy saving measures such as daylighting design and relamping
- Life-cycle costing
- Independent third-party review of design performance
To date, ComEd’s New Construction Service has committed to support 187 new construction or major renovation projects in Chicago and northern Illinois. These projects comprise nearly 24 million square feet and are expected to achieve an estimated 49 million kilowatt hours of annual energy savings-equivalent to the electricity consumed annually by more than 5,000 single family homes. Nicor Gas has an annual energy savings goal of 360,000 therms. Together, ComEd and Nicor Gas expect to provide more than $3.8 million in incentives for these projects.
