Oak Park village government leaders are considering entering a contract with the University of Illinois to help the village meet its energy efficiency goals.
A drafted resolution appeared on the agenda for approval at May 13’s village board meeting describing a deal in which U. of I. staffers would perform energy assessments on five Oak Park buildings, lead energy efficiency education sessions around the village and provide the village with reports on energy policy best practices based on their work in Oak Park, according to the scope of work report prepared by the university.
Before Tuesday’s meeting, the village pulled the resolution off the agenda to be further refined, and the deal is now expected to be discussed at next week’s board meeting May 20, according to village spokesperson Dan Yopchick.
The work would cost the village $100,000, according to the drafted resolution.
“Energy assessments and education can help businesses identify, implement, track, and measure sustainable business practices,” U. of I. officials wrote in the scope of work report. “Assessments can also help building owners and tenants plan and document their sustainability efforts, reporting progress to key stakeholders or customers. Through the village, buildings and tenants can also be recognized for their energy reduction and partnership, encouraging other businesses to join and adopt green practices.”
In the proposed resolution, the village would contract U. of I. to put on four educational sessions in the village over the next year, with the first session anticipated for July. Sessions would cover on energy use reduction topics and be aimed at both building tenants and owners, according to the scope of work report.
The proposed deal comes as Oak Park works to drastically reduce its greenhouse gas emissions in order to meet the lofty sustainability goals contained within the village’s Climate Ready Oak Park Plan, which targets a 60% cut in emissions before 2030 in a bid for carbon neutrality by 2050. According to research by the village’s sustainability office, 70% of the village’s present greenhouse emissions come from residential and commercial buildings.
Since 2023, a village ordinance has required buildings 10,000 square feet and larger to submit benchmark reports on their energy and water consumption.
“Reducing building energy use is the most important step that Oak Park can take to take action on climate change and reach the community’s Climate Ready Oak Park goals,” village officials wrote on the landing page for the benchmark report database.
According to Oak Park’s benchmark report database, the vast majority of buildings covered by the ordinance have not submitted reports.
U. of I.’s proposed work would seek to help the village get a better understanding of how it can reduce those building emissions by getting more buildings to comply with the ordinance.
“The village would like to increase the number of buildings reporting and engage them in energy reduction opportunities, aligning with their goal to reduce commercial, residential, and/or industrial energy use annually,” U. of I. officials wrote in the scope of