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Renewable Energy

June 8th, 2016

Join IREM and USGBC Illinois for an Energy Data Workshop

SRM805-Course_Flyer_Chicago

Join the Institute of Real Estate Management (IREM), Chicago Chapter, and U.S Green Building Council (USGBC), Illinois Chapter, for a free workshop about utilizing energy data more effectively.

Wednesday, June 22, 2016

8:30am – 2:30pm (lunch is provided)

Roosevelt University, Chicago, IL

 

WHAT YOU WILL LEARN:

  • Why access to energy data is important
  • How to obtain whole-building energy data to benchmark energy use
  • How to access interval data from a property’s utility meter
  • Private metering options, and how to choose an energy monitoring system
  • Basic and advanced energy analysis methods—from simple tracking to anomaly detection

WHO SHOULD ATTEND:

  • Property managers of all experience levels and property types
  • Maintenance staff and building engineers
  • Facility managers and their teams
  • Energy and building technology consultants
  • Other solutions providers working in energy efficiency

Registration and additional information can be found on the IREM website: www.iremchicago.org/energydata

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March 9th, 2016

National Association of Environmental Professionals – Annual Conference

NAEP logo

The 2016 National Association of Environmental Professionals (NAEP) Conference will be held in Chicago this year, April 11-14th.

Programs offered include:

  • Keynote speaker: Cameron Davis, US EPA Region 5 Senior Advisor, Great Lakes Initiative
  • National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) workshop
  • National Park Service: Natural Sounds and Night Skies
  • Climate Change
  • Cultural Resources
  • Ecosystems
  • Energy
  • Great Lakes
  • Public Involvement
  • Remediation
  • Sustainability
  • Transportation
  • Water Resources
  • Visual Resources

This conference will be held at the Palmer House Hilton hotel.

More information and registration can be found on NAEP’s website.

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January 6th, 2016

City releases “2012-2015 Sustainable Chicago Highlights & Look Ahead”

sustainable chicago

In recognition of the accomplishments of their sustainability action plan, the City of Chicago has released “2012-2015 Sustainable Chicago Highlights & Look Ahead.”

Highlights include:

  • Greencorps Chicago Youth Program, which launched in 2013, has provided paid, sustainability-focused summer jobs for over 2,000 youth over three years
  • Energy Benchmarking ordinance passed with strong early implementation including 1,800+ buildings benchmarking in the second year, covering 20% of citywide building energy use
  • Chicago has risen to #2 in bike friendly cities supported by the creation of 100 miles of better bike lanes and the launch and expansion of the Divvy bike share program to 4,760 bikes parked across the City in solar powered stations
  • Closed the last two coal plants in urban America which operated in Pilsen and Little Village

Look ahead plans include:

  • Conduct citywide greenhouse gas emissions inventory based on 2015 data in partnership with CMAP
  • Expand implementation of the Energy Benchmarking Ordinance to include all municipal, commercial, and residential buildings larger than 50,000 sq. ft.
  • Continue construction of three additional blocks of the Chicago Riverwalk from LaSalle to Lake Street

 

Chicago Sustainability website: www.cityofchicago.org/city/en/progs/env/sustainable_chicago2015

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August 26th, 2015

Free Energy-Saving Products Available for Homeowners

Did you know that Peoples Gas, North Shore Gas, and ComEd offer a variety of free and discounted energy-savings products to homeowners?

The Home Energy Jumpstart program offers free energy assessments to single-family homeowners, two-flats, and individually metered condos and townhomes. Participants will receive a personalized assessment with recommendations for energy upgrades that qualify for Home Energy Rebates.  This program offers HVAC, water heater, and weatherization rebates.

These assessments also include the installation of free energy-saving devices including:

Smart thermostats and Energy Star certified LED light bulbs are available at a discounted price and include free installation.

More information about the program can be found on the Peoples Gas, North Shore Gas, and ComEd websites.

Properties with three or more units are eligible to participate in the Multi-Family Energy Savings Program, which provides many of the same opportunities for free and discounted energy savings products to larger buildings.

Refer A Friend. Get Entered To Win A Little Something Extra.

For a limited time, you can also refer others and get entered to win one of three gift cards in a monthly drawing. After the energy advisor installs your free products, they’ll give you a unique referral code. For each of your referrals who participates in the program using your unique code, you’ll be entered into a monthly drawing for a $25, $50 or $100 gift card. If you have previously participated in the program or would simply like a code to share, call 844-367-5867 to get your unique referral code. Certain terms and conditions apply.

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July 21st, 2015

Incentives available to reduce energy costs

Chicago Metro Metal Consortium, the Alliance for Illinois Manufacturing, and S&C Electric invite you to join them on July 30th, 2015 (8:00am – 10:00am) to learn about energy incentives available for manufacturers.

This free program will feature:

  • An overview of S&C Electric’s energy conservation and efficiency efforts
  • Presentation by Hill Mechanical, a contractor that performs the construction work for these initiatives, on solutions — and cost offsets — for building systems retrofits.
  • Information on utility programs & rebates available from ComEd and People’s / North Shore Gas

The event will conclude with a tour and demonstration of S&C’s smart grid and an opportunity for networking with energy and innovation experts. A complimentary continental breakfast will be served.

For more information, contact:

Jennifer Ptak
Cook County Bureau of Economic Development
312-603-1014
jennifer.ptak@cookcountyil.gov

Register online at the Energy Incentives for Manufacturers website.

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March 11th, 2015

2014 was a Record Breaking Year for Solar Installations

seia - 20 GM solar capacity - march 2015

According to the Solar Energy Industries Association (SEIA), the U.S. solar market saw a 30% increase in new solar photovoltaic (PV) installations last year, from 4,776 megawatts (MW) in 2013 to 6,201 MWs in 2014.

“Without question, the solar Investment Tax Credit (ITC) has helped to fuel our industry’s remarkable growth. Today the U.S. solar industry has more employees than tech giants Google, Apple, Facebook and Twitter combined,” said Rhone Resch, SEIA president and CEO.  “Since the ITC was passed in 2006, more than 150,000 solar jobs have been created in America, and $66 billion has been invested in solar installations nationwide.  We now have 20 gigawatts (GW) of installed solar capacity – enough to power 4 million U.S. homes – and we’re helping to reduce harmful carbon emissions by 20 million metric tons a year.  By any measurement, the ITC has been a huge success for both our economy and environment.”

For more details from SEIA’s U.S. Solar Market Insight 2014 Year In Review report, visit SEIA’s website at seia.org/research-resources/us-solar-market-insight.

 

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September 24th, 2014

Join Gabriel for the Illinois Solar Tour

2014SolarTourLogo

Gabriel is proud to be a host site for this year’s Illinois Solar Tour on Saturday, October 4th.  This free, self-guided tour will be held from 10:00am – 2:00pm.

Stop by our Chicago headquarters to view our 162 solar panels, geothermal systems, and rain barrel system, as well as learn about the economics of our solar energy system.

The Illinois Solar Tour gives you the opportunity to:

  • Visit multiple renewable energy installations in your neighborhood
  •  See and learn about:

– solar electric (PV)
– solar thermal (hot water and space heating)
– small wind (horizontal and vertical)
– geothermal
– and passive solar design

  • Speak with knowledgeable professionals and homeowners
  • Meet like-minded neighbors
  • Hear the owners’ stories about why they chose to install renewable energy, their experiences with it, and how this decision has enhanced their lives.

Self-Guided

This is a self-guided tour, so you get to choose which homes and businesses (host sites) to visit, how many, and when, within the 10:00am – 2:00pm time span.  Host sites have been chosen within each geographic region for their proximity to others and to facilitate the option of visiting all of them. Each host site tour will take anywhere from 15 – 45 minutes, depending on the size of the site and the number of renewable energy installations.

For more information on  the Illinois Solar Tour, visit illinoissolartour.org/The_Tour

Solar Array on Gabriel's Roof

Part of Gabriel’s solar array

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May 21st, 2014

Gabriel’s Solar Energy Production Increased 282% in 2013

 

Photo Sep 05, 4 48 11 PM

With our expanded solar array, Gabriel produced 24,150 kWhs of solar energy in 2013 – an increase of 282% over our 2012 production levels.  In early 2013, we brought an additional 126 photo-voltaic panels online to bring our total to 162 PV panels (total capacity = 42,000 watts).

 

We saved approximately 40,300 pounds of CO2 with our solar energy last year (when compared to traditional energy sources).  With the additional capacity, we saved the equivalent of:

EPA - combined co2 and greenhouse gas savings

 

Visit our Picasa page to see more photos from the solar panel installation.

 

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