Press Room

We are very proud to announce that one of CNT Energy’s major partners, Community Investment Corporation, has been named a recipient of the MacArthur Award for Creative and Effective Institutions by the John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation. CIC’s work to preserve affordable housing through lending serves as an essential component of our Energy Savers program.

Preserving affordable housing in Chicago takes creative solutions. CIC has earned this tremendous honor by its willingness to serve markets that other financial institutions have generally ignored. Low and moderate-income neighborhoods have particular needs to address community development and affordable housing. CIC not only provides attractive loan products to building owners in these communities but also holds intensive property management education.

The award is very well deserved, and it recognizes the great work CIC has accomplished. The grant also gives CIC a tremendous opportunity to build off its work, strengthen its capacity and expand its impact to more buildings and more communities.

Many congratulations!

Watch this video below to learn more about their award and read the MacArthur Foundation write up here.

CHICAGO (January 26, 2012)—Energy efficiency upgrades in multifamily buildings could save building owners and residents up to $3.4 billion nationwide, according to a report released today by CNT Energy and the American Council for an Energy-Efficient Economy (ACEEE). Engaging as Partners in Energy Efficiency: Multifamily Housing and Utilities demonstrates that energy use in multifamily buildings can be reduced substantially, and cost-effective upgrades can result in utility cost savings of 15 to 30 percent in buildings with five or more residential units. The key to unlocking the savings, the report finds, is for energy utilities and apartment building owners to work together more closely to develop effective energy efficiency policies.

“We have billions essentially sitting untapped in our apartment buildings. We can harness that by simply setting better policies for efficiency for apartment buildings,” said Anne McKibbin, CNT Energy policy director and coauthor of the report. “Partnering with utilities is a crucial part of the process. Building owners and other housing industry players need to work with their utilities, engaging them directly and in local and state regulatory proceedings,” she said.

Energy efficiency upgrades improve the bottom line for multifamily building owners, help maintain affordable housing, decrease financial risk for lending institutions, and improve occupant comfort. However, building owners often have difficulty finding technical assistance, financing, or qualified contractors to upgrade their buildings. “Maximizing energy efficiency is a win-win for apartment residents, building owners, energy utilities and our energy infrastructure,” said Doug Bibby, President of the National Multi Housing Council. “This report offers excellent ideas that we hope spur further cooperation between multifamily owners and utilities to create a more efficient partnership.”

Better coordination between apartment building owners and energy utilities could address that, according to the report’s analysis. The study finds that there is a vast, largely untapped opportunity to engage utilities in providing effective energy efficiency programs that target the multifamily sector. The study examines utilities’ involvement in energy efficiency efforts across the country and identifies strategies that the multifamily building community can use to work together for improved efficiency. “We are thrilled to explore partnerships with apartment owners as a way of better serving our customers and reaching our energy efficiency goals. This paper outlines some important next steps for collaboration,” said Duane Larson, Director, Energy Efficiency Strategy, Pacific Gas & Electric Company.

The report identifies regions where the multifamily sector could see particularly dramatic benefits from improvements in energy efficiency policy. These include Florida, Illinois, Texas, and the District of Columbia—regions that have a substantial number of multifamily buildings and energy policies that leave significant room for improvement.

“Utilities and local regulations vary dramatically from state to state and region to region, so there is no one-size-fits-all solution,” says Eric Mackres, ACEEE senior policy analyst. “The common thread is that partnering with the utility is crucial. This report outlines a variety of strategies that can help the multifamily housing sector to engage electric and natural gas utilities in order to expand the resources available for energy efficiency retrofits.”

This report was made possible by support from the John D. & Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation and Living Cities.

The full report is available online at http://www.cntenergy.org/publications/. Those interested in learning more are invited to participate in a Webinar on February 13 at 1 p.m. CST. For details, go to http://www.cntenergy.org/calendar/ or call (773) 269-4037.

CNT Energy helps reduce energy costs in households, buildings, and communities. CNT Energy is a division of the Center for Neighborhood Technology. Since 1978, the Center for Neighborhood Technology (CNT) has been a leader in promoting urban sustainability—the more effective use of existing resources and community assets to improve the health of natural systems and the wealth of people, today and in the future. CNT Energy combines rigorous research with effective solutions to help consumers and communities control energy costs and become more energy efficient. For more information, visit www.cntenergy.org.

The American Council for an Energy-Efficient Economy acts as a catalyst to advance energy efficiency policies, programs, technologies, investments, and behaviors. For information about ACEEE and its programs, publications, and conferences, visit http://www.aceee.org.

For more information contact:
Stephanie Folk, CNT Energy
Phone: (773) 269-4085
E-mail: sfolk@cntenergy.org

Resources to make existing homes more energy efficient are scaling up quickly right now. For example, the U.S. Department of Energy’s Better Buildings Neighborhood Program grants have created funding for home performance programs in more than 40 markets. Home Performance with Energy Star is now offered in more than 30 states. As housing stock evolves, it is important that the local real estate market does too.

In September, the Center for Neighborhood Technology in Chicago organized the Green MLS/Better Buildings Roundtable to get a better handle on opportunities and challenges. The event was held at the Chicago Metropolitan Agency for Planning. The goal was to explore the current situation using seven Better Buildings markets as a sample.

The meeting brought together approximately 25 contributors from the seven markets, as well as their counterparts at several key trade organizations. The group was an unprecedented mix, and was roughly balanced between four key stakeholder groups: multiple listing service (MLS) operators; Realtors; appraisers; and home performance and energy efficiency professionals.

The seven markets included: Santa Clara County and Los Angeles County in California; Boulder, Colorado; Chicago Metro in Illinois; Westchester County, New York; Portland, Oregon; and Charlottesville, Virginia. National stakeholders included the Appraisal Institute, Building Performance Institute (BPI), U.S. Department of Energy (DOE), EcoBroker International, Institute for Market Transformation (IMT), National Association of REALTORs (NAR) and the National Home Performance Council (NHPC).

Participants discussed how stakeholders can work together to build the market for energy efficient homes. Looking forward, there was support among participants for opportunities that would encourage the most future progress:

1. Create a clear path for valuing green and energy efficiency improvements.

2. Create a roadmap for the big pieces:

• Financing energy efficiency improvements (from education on products available to appraisal and loan closing)
• Valuation metric (established metric to link performance savings to value)
• Education and outreach

CNT Energy is currently documenting the viability and scope of related follow-up projects, as well as encouraging participating individuals and organizations who were inspired during the event to pursue their own ideas.

Click here for a summary of the roundtable discussion.

Click here for the complete report on the roundtable.

To stay current on developing progress, please contact lstukel@cntenergy.org.

On October 28, the Energy Savers program received a Chicagoland Apartment Marketing and Management Excellence (CAMME) Award from the Chicagoland Apartment Association. The Energy Savers program, a project of CNT Energy and Community Investment Corporation (CIC), was recognized in the category of Excellence in Sustainability and Green Practices for the program’s achievements in improving energy efficiency in affordable multifamily rental housing in the Chicago region.

The (CAMME) Awards are held annually to celebrate multi-family housing companies and professionals that have demonstrated excellence in the previous year. All entries are judged by fellow multi-family housing professionals that do not have an entry in the category and whose professional experience is commensurate with the category being judged.

The Energy Savers program is a one-stop energy efficiency shop for multifamily buildings. CNT Energy administers the program in partnership with CIC. Since 2008, Energy Savers has retrofitted more than 6,200 units in more than 160 buildings in the Chicago region. Aside from these upgrades, the CNT Energy staff has conducted energy assessments in roughly 500 buildings – including over 17,600 units. Through Community Investment Corporation, the lending partner for the program, building owners have been able to leverage more than $4 million in financing for building improvements.

These efforts have led to total energy savings of close to 1.5 million therms. Aside from energy and operation cost savings, the Energy Savers program has led to the creation of 189 new jobs. This program is benefiting building owners, tenants, the local economy, and the environment by reducing operating costs, making apartments more comfortable, creating jobs and saving energy.

Building owners and contractors who are interested in working with the Energy Savers program can contact CNT Energy at info@cntenergy.org or (773) 269-4037. More information is also available at www.cntenergysavers.org.

Resources aim to give consumers the information they need to make decisions towards reducing energy consumption and lowering energy bills

Energy Impact Illinois today launched a personalized energy calculator and financial resources for Chicago area homeowners to help them make energy efficient improvements to their homes. The tools, now located at TheEnergyBills.org, will educate homeowners on their current energy usage, provide information on how to make smart energy efficiency investments and connect them with financial resources to make those investments a reality.

“Everyone knows that they will save money and energy if they retrofit their home or business, it is just hard to figure out how to make it happen,” said Randy Blankenhorn, executive director of the Chicago Metropolitan Agency for Planning (CMAP), the lead agency behind Energy Impact Illinois. “Energy Impact Illinois simplifies the process with these new resources, which will help people get informed on their energy usage habits and learn ways to make smart energy efficient investments that fit within their budget.”

The energy calculator, known as “MyHomeEQ,” is a unique customized web tool that gives users real, up-to-date information on their home energy usage. The tool is a simple process that tells a user how they use energy, what can be done to lower utility bills while improving energy efficiency, and how to connect with the right resources and contractors needed to implement those actions.
MyHomeEQ integrates actual data from county assessors’ offices and utility bills while incorporating a home’s characteristics submitted by the user to develop an individual energy performance score. Users can then compare that score to similar homes in their area and explore steps that can improve their score, such as sealing air leaks or replacing outdated appliances with new energy efficient models.

“With winter approaching, people are more conscious of their energy costs,” said Blankenhorn. “Our tools and resources will help customers understand how they use energy and how they can navigate the retrofit process, reduce expenses and make their home more comfortable.”

In addition to MyHomeEQ, TheEnergyBills.org also features the Energy Impact Illinois Residential Loan Program, which includes financial resources from local credit unions and banks that can help homeowners make energy efficiency upgrades to their properties in affordable ways. Homeowners can take advantage of unsecured loan products at competitive rates to help finance energy efficiency improvement projects, with links to qualified contractors to do the work.

To learn more and to take advantage of MyHomeEQ and the Energy Impact Illinois Residential Loan program, and other potential energy efficiency resources, visit TheEnergyBills.org.

More than 11,000 downstate Illinois households have discovered they can cut their electric utility bills by switching to the Power Smart Pricing program from Ameren Illinois. Customers in this program have saved an average of 25 percent on the electricity supply portion of their electricity bills compared with what they would pay on the standard rate. That amounts to nearly $200 in annual savings for a typical household with total electric bills that averaged around $100 per month before switching to Power Smart Pricing. Program participants have saved more than $4 million since the program started in 2007.

The 25 percent savings result is based on average savings on electricity supply charges for 2008 through 2010. By the end of this year, current customers are on track to save an average of roughly 25 percent during 2011.

Power Smart Pricing is designed to help customers save money by giving them access to hourly, market-based electricity prices. While these prices vary, often the market-based price of electricity is lower than the price under the standard residential rate. Prices tend to be low most of the time during the fall, winter and spring, and can be higher on summer afternoons. Customers can increase their savings with Power Smart Pricing by taking simple actions to conserve electricity during the hours when prices rise.

Power Smart Pricing is an electricity rate option from Ameren Illinois that is administered by CNT Energy, a nonprofit organization dedicated to helping consumers and communities save energy and money. Customers who sign up for Power Smart Pricing continue to get their electricity supply from Ameren Illinois. CNT Energy provides information and customer support to help program participants get the best possible value from the program.

“Power Smart Pricing works a bit like a cell phone plan that gives you lower prices for nights and weekends,” says Stephanie Folk, a program spokesperson from CNT Energy. “But with Power Smart Pricing you get even more times when prices are low. For many people it’s an easy way to save on household bills.”

With Power Smart Pricing, the hourly electricity prices for each day are set the evening in advance. Customers can check prices by phone or the Internet or through other tools including Twitter and smart phone apps. Program participants can also view their electricity usage and savings information by logging in to their account at www.powersmartpricing.org.

In addition to helping customers cut costs, Power Smart Pricing has demonstrated that participants reduce their electricity usage during hours when demand for electricity is highest. This eases stress on the electric grid, and can help reduce the cost of power for all customers by reducing the amount of expensive peak power that the utility must buy.

For more information, go to www.powersmartpricing.org or call 877- 655-6028.