Step-by-Step Guide

1. Application

Fill out CNT Energy Saver’s application online, or on paper and mail or fax it to us. The application asks for the following utility information:

• For Peoples Gas and North Shore Gas customers: your account number(s)
• For all other gas providers: copies of your last 12 monthly bills
• For commercial ComEd customers: your account number(s) AND meter number(s)
• For residential ComEd customers and all other electricity providers: copies of your last 12 monthly bills.

You will receive an email confirming that we have received your application. If the application is incomplete, you will be asked to provide any missing information. Please submit one application for each building.

2. Bill Analysis

With the utility information provided in your application, we will look at the past energy use of your building. This will give a preliminary estimate of how efficient your building is, like “miles per gallon” for a car. It will also establish a baseline to compare future energy use against.

3. CNT Energy Savers Analysis

After we have received your application and analyzed utility bills, we will call to schedule a time for the energy analysis. An analysis typically lasts 1.5–2 hours. We will need access to the following:

• Central heating and hot water equipment. If the building has individual furnaces, we will need to see a sample of furnaces.
• Basements
• Roof and rooftop HVAC equipment
• Units, about 10% of total. We do not need to see each type of unit (one-bedroom, two-bedroom, etc). We do need to see units at the top, middle, and bottom of the building, and units on different sides of the building. The units can be vacant as long as they’re in rentable condition.

4. CNT Energy Savers Report

After the analysis we will weigh the costs and benefits of potential energy-saving measures for your building. We will put our final recommendations into a written report and contact you to schedule a meeting to review the report and develop an appropriate scope of work. Recommendations are chosen strictly on the basis of cost-effectiveness. The work we recommend is an investment in energy efficiency.

A report may qualify you for a low-interest loan with the Community Investment Corporation to finance recommended energy-efficiency work. Please call CIC for questions about the loan and financing.

5. Bid Solicitation & Construction Oversight

Our work doesn’t end with the report. Our construction staff has extensive experience with licensed contractors in the Chicago area and will help you solicit competitive bids based on your personal scope of work. Our staff will help you at all steps of the retrofitting process: site coordination, scheduling, and oversight to ensure that the work is done properly and safely.

6. Verification of Savings

Following successful completion of the project, CNT Energy’s Energy Savers will monitor your energy bills to verify that you are achieving the energy savings we expect. Annual up-to-date savings reports will be provided to you for the first two years after construction. Click here to see a sample savings report. If your building is not achieving the expected savings, we will provide a tune-up consultation.

Questions? Ready to save energy and money? Call CNT Energy’s Energy Savers program at 773-269-4037.