Green Building Research and Evaluation

Communities across the country are making commitments to reduce greenhouse gas emissions. Energy consumption in buildings accounts for 60% of greenhouse gas emissions in the Chicago area. CNT’s LEED-Platinum building is being used as a model and demonstration project to help others learn more about how to build the next generation of energy-efficient, cost-effective buildings. CNT’s Green Building Research and Evaluation program can help local governments provide property owners with the information and tools they need to stabilize operating costs and improve the environment.

CNT Energy offers a variety of green building services, including green building code reviews to assist municipalities in including green building components in existing building and zoning codes; green building permitting programs designed to provide incentives to developers; analysis of community building trends and recommendations for targeting green building initiatives for both publicly and privately built structures. Communities are offered customized green building guides; training programs for permit review staff, inspectors, and code compliance staff; educational materials for developers, builders, contractors and homeowners; and tools for tracking progress and evaluating the effectiveness of green building initiatives.

Cities can use these innovative programs to assure that new construction and rehabbed buildings are cost-effective, provide environmental benefits, and reduce local greenhouse gas emissions.

Learn more about CNT’s building at http://building.cnt.org/.

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Publications

Greenhouse Gas Emissions in Chicago: Emissions Inventories and Reduction Strategies for Chicago and its Metropolitan Region

By CNT: Jennifer McGraw, Peter Haas, Linda Young, and Anne Evens. February 28, 2010. (.pdf, 185.7kb)

Capital Bill signing by Governor Pat Quinn Remarks

By Jacky Grimshaw, CNT. July 13, 2009. (.pdf, 42.6kb)

Equity Express Fact Sheet

By CNT. June 24, 2009. (.pdf, 189.0kb)

More Energy publications...

News

October 23rd, 2009 A New Data Center to Strategically Position the Region for Federal Funding

In September, CNT conducted the first of three workshops kicking off the Municipal Energy Profile Program (MEPP) for the 7-county Chicago region. There a forum was created for technical questions and best practices on how different communities are planning to spend their Energy Efficiency and Conservation Block Grant (EECBG) Program federal money, and received input on how CNT can best help municipalities. The workshop helped set the stage for developing a regional partnership to address energy efficiency and participate in the competitive round of federal funding.

October 22nd, 2009 CNT Building Displays Advantages of Green Retrofits

In 2005, CNT received a LEED (Leadership in Energy and Environment) Platinum designation from the U.S. Green Building Council for its renovation of its headquarters in Chicago. Today McGraw Hill Construction released a new market research study, Green Building Retrofit & Renovation: Rapidly Expanding Market Opportunities through Existing Buildings, which features CNT as a case study.

October 20th, 2009 White House Unveils “Recovery Through Retrofits”

The goal of the “Recovery Through Retrofit” plan is to expand home energy retrofit programs and energy efficiency. The report sites the barriers that have prevented the field from expanding and reaching more of the 130 million homes in the United State that could use a boost in efficiency. The key to the new initiative is to overcome these barriers to help homeowners make cost effective investments in their homes.


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Energy

Projects

Climate Change Analysis

CNT Energy is part of a team assessing the carbon dioxide emissions of Chicago and the region, and developing strategies to reduce emissions.

Regional Energy Planning

Building off the Kane County Energy Plan, CNT Energy advocates the critical importance of planning for the changing energy environment and infrastructure needs in growing communities.

Green Building Research and Evaluation

CNT’s LEED-Platinum building is being used as a model and demonstration project to help others learn more about how to build the next generation of energy-efficient, cost-effective buildings.

Illinois Smart Grid Initiative

The ISGI is a public-private working group formed to engage Illinoisans in examining the nature and potential benefits of a modernized electric grid, and to map a policy path for achieving those benefits for consumers and the economy.

Tools

Building Performance Monitoring

Visualizing CNT is a Web-based tool to display energy use intensity, carbon emissions and water use.

Real-Time Energy Pricing

CNT Energy is a leader in developing and implementing successful real-time energy pricing programs for residential customers. We provide information, services, and tools to help manage electricity costs. For more information, see:

Cook County Energy Savers

This is a one-stop shop for owners of multi-family rental buildings with suggestions for energy efficient construction strategies and appliances for their properties.