Oak Park climate group hosts two clean energy open houses

If you’ve ever wondered about steps you can take to make your old house live a little bit greener, the Oak Park Climate Action Network (OPCAN) is ready to show you how. Two clean energy open houses, one on March 9 and one on April 6, will highlight local homeowners who have made green energy updates to their houses.

OPCAN is an Oak Park-based organization made up of volunteers who work to eliminate the community’s contribution to the global climate crisis through equitable policies and practices. The group also advocates for implementation of the climate action plan, Climate Ready Oak Park, which was adopted by the village government in 2022. 

Wendy Greenhouse, a core organizer of OPCAN, hopes the tours will show residents how easy it can be to make the switch to green energy. She points out that 2030 is the deadline for the planet by which carbon emissions need to be cut in half to avoid some of the most catastrophic effects of climate change.

The open houses will help homeowners of typical, older Oak Park houses see what changes are possible, says Greenhouse. The six featured homes will showcase a variety of updates. 

“The great thing about the open houses is that they cover a range of rehabilitations. From an American four square that got a new heat pump to a house that was a full gut rehab,” she says.

People can get overwhelmed when trying to make green upgrades to their homes’ energy systems, and Greenhouse hopes the open houses will help people see that incremental changes can be meaningful and that it is possible to stage upgrades as their budgets allow.

A long-time Oak Park resident and a veteran of the Wright Plus Housewalk, Greenhouse laughs when she says OPCAN’s housewalk will be a bit unlike typical housewalks. 

“This is so different because it’s not at all about the cosmetics. People will be going straight to the basement to see the mechanicals, maybe with a stop by the kitchen to see an induction stove.”

The open houses are split over two days to allow visitors to see a variety of houses. On Sunday, March 9, people will be invited to see:

•  a 1911 wood frame and stucco home of 2,400 square feet, which has an upgraded thermal system and photovoltaic solar arrays, a tankless hot water heater, and induction stove and nature-based solutions
•  a 1918 American four-square, stucco home of 2,620 square feet, which is fully electrified with rooftop solar and geothermal system, heat pump HVAC, electric appliances, repurposed or renewable finishes, gray water system, and nature-based solutions  
•  a 1910 Hulbert house with wood frame with siding, and roughly 1,600 square feet that has been upgraded with mini-split heat pump supplementing existing conventional boiler and radiator heating 

On Sunday, April 6, attendees can see:

•  a 1916 brick bungalow of 2,800 square feet that is fully electrified with rooftop solar, heat pump HVAC and hot water heater, electric appliances 
•  a 1927 brick home of roughly 1,910 square feet that is upgraded with a heat pump HVAC (requiring a conversion from radiators to ducted forced air), electric appliances 
•  a 1910 American four-square, stucco house of 3,400 square feet that is fully electrified with rooftop solar, geothermal, heat pump HVAC and hot water heater, electric appliances 

During the open houses, the homeowners will be on hand to answer questions about their green energy updates. Each open house will also have a volunteer from OPCAN who can answer questions about the organization.

Greenhouse notes that part of OPCAN’s mission is to help neighbors make the change to green energy and the organization aims to be a knowledgeable voice of experience in the neighborhood. 

The OPCAN website has links to a Climate Coaches program, in which volunteers provide 30-minute coaching sessions either in person or on the phone. They can help people learn more about a variety of topics from solar panel installation to composting. She notes that the peer-to-peer program offers a great casual way for people to learn about what has worked for their neighbors.

OPCAN also offers a Resources List so that community members can share information on the rebates and incentives that come with green upgrades.

Greenhouse says, “The upgrades can be a big upfront investment, but it’s less than you might think because of the rebates and the incentives. There’s a real savings, especially for people who will be in their houses for a while.”

She also says the rewards are more than monetary, “A cleaner system is good for our future as well as for good for children’s health right now. There are a lot of rewards to doing this.”

The website also has a Contractors tab, where OPCAN members share their recommendations for service providers who they have used to make green energy upgrades.  Greenhouse states, “It’s amazing how much expertise there is in Oak Park.”