Upcoming Live Programs
October 10 at Noon CT
Audience: City of Chicago Small Businesses
Join the Building Energy Hub and SomerCor for a free 30-minute webinar that will explore three small business financing products: the SBA 504 Green Loan, the Small Business Improvement Fund (SBIF), and Neighborhood Opportunity Fund (NOF) grant.
Episode 1: The Business Case for Decarbonization – Why It Matters Now
October 14 at Noon CT
This three-part webinar series will help building owners and operators understand the financial and operational value of energy efficient retrofits. From making the business case to planning and implementation, experts will share strategies, incentives, and success stories that show how practical upgrades cut costs, reduce risks, and strengthen long-term building performance—while highlighting the hidden costs of doing nothing. Participants will leave with tools and clear next steps to manage buildings more efficiently and effectively.
Episode 2: Planning for Action – From Awareness to Strategy
Episode 3: Making it Happen – Implementation Pathways
October 17 at Noon CT
Join the Building Energy Hub for a free, 30-minute webinar that will provide an overview of the Illinois Department of Commerce & Economic Opportunity's (DCEO) Equitable Energy Future Grant Program. This grant program provides upfront capital to support the development of renewable energy and energy efficiency projects that benefit businesses, community organizations, and the workforce in historically disadvantaged communities. In this virtual session, we’ll explore how grants of $250,000 to $1 million will be available to eligible contractor businesses for renewable energy and energy efficiency projects.
Small Businesses
Financing Energy Projects with the SSBCI Program
This 30-minute webinar with the Illinois Climate Bank and Wintrust Commercial Banking explores how this exciting funding opportunity can be utilized for your next energy efficiency project at interest rates as low as 1%. The Illinois Climate Bank assists Illinois businesses that create or retain jobs by offering the SSBCI through a participating lender.
Small Business Products for Energy Projects
This 30-minute webinar walks attendees through how to use the SBA 504 Green Loan to implement building retrofits. The SBA 504 Green Loan provides fixed-rate financing for fixed assets, up to $5.5 million per project. Plus, borrowers can now have multiple SBA 504 Green Loans with no aggregate cap limit on capital.
Commercial Buildings
Illinois Climate Bank Energy Efficiency Revolving Loan Fund
Audience: Municipalities, counties, and local government agencies, public school districts, Nonprofit organizations, Rural electric cooperatives and municipal utilities, Tribal governments and entities, for-profit entities
Watch this 30-minute webinar to learn about Illinois Climate Bank's Bridge Loan program to cover gaps between project completion and the disbursement of federal or state incentives, and Co-Lending/Participation Loans to support longer-term project financing.
Free Building Optimization with ComEd
During this 30-minute webinar, you'll learn how your facility can save money and energy with a ComEd Retro-Commissioning (RCx) project. As part of this program, a ComEd authorized Energy Efficiency Service Provider performs a fully-funded study of your facility’s energy management systems to identify no-and low-cost operational improvements. Presenters share examples of how buildings save an average of 5-10% on annual energy costs and may also qualify for incentives or additional savings through your natural gas utility’s partnership with ComEd.
Free Building Optimization with ComEd
Watch this 30-minute webinar to learn about a ComEd program that provides comprehensive energy solutions for new construction and major renovation projects. Major renovations are eligible if including significant beyond-code upgrades to at least two major building systems. Additional funds are available for lead design firms that actively engage with the program. ComEd provide recommendations, assistance, and financial incentives for energy-saving improvements to all major building systems—envelope, HVAC equipment, lighting, commercial refrigeration and more.
Municipalities and Public Buildings
Illinois Climate Bank Stretch Code Adoption Grants
Audience: Municipalities and local government agencies
Watch this 30-minute webinar to learn about Illinois Climate Bank's Stretch Building Code Grant Program. Grant funds may be used for education, community engagement, technical assistance, and other activities to support municipalities in integrating the stretch code into their regulatory frameworks. For the 2025 grant period, $3.6 million has been allocated to fund approximately 18 local governments, through awards of up to $200,000 each.
Illinois Climate Bank Energy Efficiency Revolving Loan Fund
Audience: Municipalities, counties, and local government agencies, public school districts, Nonprofit organizations, Rural electric cooperatives and municipal utilities, Tribal governments and entities, for-profit entities
Watch this 30-minute webinar to learn about Illinois Climate Bank's Bridge Loan program to cover gaps between project completion and the disbursement of federal or state incentives, and Co-Lending/Participation Loans to support longer-term project financing.
Multifamily Buildings
Illinois Energy Office Housing Assistance Energy Grants
Audience: Public housing authorities, units of local government, and nonprofit organizations that manage properties serving residents that receive rental assistance, housing choice vouchers or utilize subsidized housing assistance programs (up to 40 dwelling units)
Watch this 30-minute webinar to learn how public housing authorities, local governments, or nonprofit organizations can be eligible to receive awards to conduct energy efficiency assessments or implement energy efficiency projects at eligible properties. Application period open until funding expended.
Illinois Climate Bank Energy Efficiency Revolving Loan Fund
Audience: Municipalities, counties, and local government agencies, public school districts, Nonprofit organizations, Rural electric cooperatives and municipal utilities, Tribal governments and entities, for-profit entities
Watch this 30-minute webinar to learn about Illinois Climate Bank's Bridge Loan program to cover gaps between project completion and the disbursement of federal or state incentives, and Co-Lending/Participation Loans to support longer-term project financing.
Contractors
Equitable Energy Futures Grant Program
In this 30-minute virtual session, we explore how grants of up to $1 million will be available to contractor businesses to promote renewable energy and energy efficiency projects. Our presenter explains how grant funds may be used to support a wide array of activities, including planning and project development, purchasing and leasing of land, permitting and zoning, interconnection application costs, equipment and supplies, community outreach and marketing, and staff and operations expenses.
Program Eligibility: Eligible applicants include businesses or nonprofit organizations that are equity eligible contractors or businesses and nonprofit organizations that propose projects that meet equity building criteria. Learn more here.
