The village’s Oak Park Energy Navigator (OPEN) program, launched in March, has been met by an overwhelming response from residents. For owners of Oak Park condominiums and smaller multi-unit buildings, as well as single-family homes, OPEN offers a free home energy assessment to identify energy-saving opportunities. Participants also receive a personalized report outlining steps toward energy improvements and available financial resources to help complete energy-saving projects that can save money while improving comfort.
But the Climate Coaches program started more than two years ago by Oak Park Climate Action Network (OPCAN) isn’t going away with the advent of OPEN. While OPEN’s tech experts assess a building’s entire energy picture, Climate Coaches offer their personal experience in free neighbor-to-neighbor conversations on particular topics. Coaches can answer questions like, “How has switching your home’s heating from gas to electric affected the comfort of your interior?” “What are the pros and cons of cooking with induction versus gas?” “How did you decide whether to buy or lease rooftop solar panels?” or “What contractor did you use and did you like them?”
In addition, Climate Coaches can advise on topics not covered by OPEN, such as landscaping with native plants to reduce flood risk and promote biodiversity; buying, charging, and road-tripping in an EV (electric vehicle); composting kitchen and yard waste to reduce landfill and create nutrient-rich soil “food” and also getting started with bicycling.
OPEN and Climate Coaches complement each other in helping Oak Parkers on their journeys toward greater climate sustainability, and many Oak Parkers will find value in using both.
Pamela Tate
Oak Park