DESE0001544
Project Grant
Overview
Grant Description
The Healthy Buildings Ordinance for Equitable Building Performance Standards (HBO) will regulate, educate, and provide a clear path for Evanston’s largest buildings to comply with goals set out in our Climate Action and Resilience Plan (CARP).
The policy approach will efficiently reduce building emissions while ensuring equitable decision-making, affordability preservation, workforce development opportunities, and cost savings.
By 2050 Evanston’s buildings that are 20,000 square feet or greater will have zero onsite emissions, be highly efficient, and be able to claim renewable electricity use.
Additionally, the workforce needed to reach that goal will have been adequately trained and community members will benefit from improved health and comfort and reduced utility bills.
HBO will reduce energy consumption, increase efficiency, eliminate onsite and district thermal greenhouse gas emissions, and ensure renewable electricity procurement.
To achieve these goals the approach seeks to increase community engagement and leadership, add to the academic and practical knowledge of building retrofits, and train the relevant trades and building management to be able to implement the needed solutions.
Interim targets will be designed collaboratively with community stakeholders to allow building owners 5 years to get into and maintain compliance before the first compliance year.
The final performance standards will ensure minimum total reductions across all covered properties of 45% from 2024 levels (maximum normalized site EUI), 100% from 2024 levels for (maximum onsite and district thermal greenhouse gas emissions), and 100% of electricity consumption is sourced through on-site and purchased renewable energy by 2050.
HBO aims to address equity concerns by allowing the city to develop a stipend-supported Community Advocacy Board (CAB).
The CAB will work with city staff to create an equitable foundation for the HBO, including the creation of a priority list of equity-concerned buildings.
Technical assistance would be provided to educate the managers of the most vulnerable and least resilient buildings, often with the highest energy burdens, to understand what is required of them and how they can comply with HBO through an energy audit with tailored recommendations.
Lastly, the goal is also to support buildings that need the most financial help and ensure they can access financing and incentives provided by third parties.
Specific project goals include:
Goal 1: Establish and implement a Building Performance Standard (BPS).
Ensure the successful creation and adoption of the Healthy Buildings Ordinance that sets energy efficiency and emissions standards for buildings.
Goal 2: Promote community and stakeholder engagement.
Engage with local communities, especially disadvantaged and underserved populations, to gather feedback and ensure the BPS reflects community needs and priorities.
At least 100 equity priority buildings will have received an audit and a pathway for compliance.
A subset of buildings will receive community benefit building evaluations, including documentation of multiple metrics like energy, comfort, health, and resilience.
Goal 3: Enhance compliance and workforce capacity.
Build the necessary internal and external capacity to support BPS implementation, enforcement, and compliance through training, technical assistance, and software solutions.
At least 45 new clean energy workforce members will be trained.
At least 3 new city staff will be hired.
The policy approach will efficiently reduce building emissions while ensuring equitable decision-making, affordability preservation, workforce development opportunities, and cost savings.
By 2050 Evanston’s buildings that are 20,000 square feet or greater will have zero onsite emissions, be highly efficient, and be able to claim renewable electricity use.
Additionally, the workforce needed to reach that goal will have been adequately trained and community members will benefit from improved health and comfort and reduced utility bills.
HBO will reduce energy consumption, increase efficiency, eliminate onsite and district thermal greenhouse gas emissions, and ensure renewable electricity procurement.
To achieve these goals the approach seeks to increase community engagement and leadership, add to the academic and practical knowledge of building retrofits, and train the relevant trades and building management to be able to implement the needed solutions.
Interim targets will be designed collaboratively with community stakeholders to allow building owners 5 years to get into and maintain compliance before the first compliance year.
The final performance standards will ensure minimum total reductions across all covered properties of 45% from 2024 levels (maximum normalized site EUI), 100% from 2024 levels for (maximum onsite and district thermal greenhouse gas emissions), and 100% of electricity consumption is sourced through on-site and purchased renewable energy by 2050.
HBO aims to address equity concerns by allowing the city to develop a stipend-supported Community Advocacy Board (CAB).
The CAB will work with city staff to create an equitable foundation for the HBO, including the creation of a priority list of equity-concerned buildings.
Technical assistance would be provided to educate the managers of the most vulnerable and least resilient buildings, often with the highest energy burdens, to understand what is required of them and how they can comply with HBO through an energy audit with tailored recommendations.
Lastly, the goal is also to support buildings that need the most financial help and ensure they can access financing and incentives provided by third parties.
Specific project goals include:
Goal 1: Establish and implement a Building Performance Standard (BPS).
Ensure the successful creation and adoption of the Healthy Buildings Ordinance that sets energy efficiency and emissions standards for buildings.
Goal 2: Promote community and stakeholder engagement.
Engage with local communities, especially disadvantaged and underserved populations, to gather feedback and ensure the BPS reflects community needs and priorities.
At least 100 equity priority buildings will have received an audit and a pathway for compliance.
A subset of buildings will receive community benefit building evaluations, including documentation of multiple metrics like energy, comfort, health, and resilience.
Goal 3: Enhance compliance and workforce capacity.
Build the necessary internal and external capacity to support BPS implementation, enforcement, and compliance through training, technical assistance, and software solutions.
At least 45 new clean energy workforce members will be trained.
At least 3 new city staff will be hired.
Awardee
Funding Goals
THIS FUNDING OPPORTUNITY ANNOUNCEMENT (FOA) IS BEING ISSUED BY THE U.S. DEPARTMENT OF ENERGY (DOE)’S STATE AND COMMUNITY ENERGY PROGRAM (SCEP) UNDER IRA SECTION 50131, TECHNICAL ASSISTANCE FOR THE ADOPTION OF BUILDING ENERGY CODES. THE GOAL OF THIS FOA IS TO IMPROVE NEW CONSTRUCTION AND MAJOR RENOVATIONS; INCREASE BUILDING CODE EFFECTIVENESS; PROVIDE IMPLEMENTATION SUPPORT FOR ADOPTING UPDATED BUILDING ENERGY CODES, ZERO ENERGY CODES, AND STRETCH CODES; EDUCATE STAKEHOLDERS; IMPROVE THE RESILIENCE OF BUILDINGS; AND PROVIDE MEANINGFUL BENEFITS TO COMMUNITIES NATIONWIDE.
Grant Program (CFDA)
Awarding Agency
Funding Agency
Place of Performance
Evanston,
Illinois
United States
Geographic Scope
City-Wide
City Of Evanston was awarded
Equitable Building Performance Standards in Evanston (HBO)
Project Grant DESE0001544
worth $10,471,400
from the Department of Energy in January 2025 with work to be completed primarily in Evanston Illinois United States.
The grant
has a duration of 1 year and
was awarded through assistance program 81.117 Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy Information Dissemination, Outreach, Training and Technical Analysis/Assistance.
The Project Grant was awarded through grant opportunity Inflation Reduction Act of 2022 (IRA) Assistance for the Adoption of the Latest and Zero Building Energy Codes.
Status
(Ongoing)
Last Modified 12/26/24
Period of Performance
1/1/25
Start Date
12/31/25
End Date
Funding Split
$10.5M
Federal Obligation
$0.0
Non-Federal Obligation
$10.5M
Total Obligated
Activity Timeline
Additional Detail
Award ID FAIN
DESE0001544
SAI Number
None
Award ID URI
SAI EXEMPT
Awardee Classifications
City Or Township Government
Awarding Office
892434 GOLDEN FIELD OFFICE
Funding Office
892414 OFFICE OF STATE AND COMMUNITY ENERGY PROGRAMS (SCEP)
Awardee UEI
XKVUMPN8PBN1
Awardee CAGE
4RWL1
Performance District
IL-09
Senators
Richard Durbin
Tammy Duckworth
Tammy Duckworth
Modified: 12/26/24