Oak Park’s village government and local school districts reduced their energy use this year as the town eyes its ambitious sustainability goals.
Through participation in ComEd’s Strategic Energy Management Program, Village Hall, the Public Works Center, and local schools – including Oak Park Elementary School District 97 and Oak Park and River Forest High School District 200 – have achieved significant energy savings, reducing both environmental impact and operational costs, the village said in a news release this month.
These efforts are part of Oak Park’s broader commitment to reduce municipal energy use by 30% by 2030 in a bid for carbon neutrality by 2050, the village said.
“ComEd’s SEM program has been an incredible tool both to identify opportunities for energy savings and to measure and communicate our work,” said Lindsey Roland Nieratka, Oak Park’s top sustainability staffer. “We have been collaborating with our school districts on energy efficiency through a Cross Agency Sustainability Exchange and the SEM program provides great resources to align efforts and see the collective impact. We are proud of the results and the positive impact this has on our community and the environment.”
Oak Park’s village government reduced its energy use by over 2.14 million kilowatt-hours and reduced energy costs by over $225,000 through its participation in the ComEd strategic energy management program. D97 reduced its energy usage by over 1.55 million kilowatt-hours and saved over $164,000 while D200 cut its energy usage by more than 290,000 kilowatt-hours to save over $28,000 this year with the program, according to the village.
