Hub August 2026 Newsletter
In this month's issue:
- ComEd Incentives and Technical Support
- Efficient & Resilient Public Buildings Grant Program
- New on the Podcast: Chyanne Husar & Paul Sambanis
- New Video: Funding and Financing Guide Overview
- #ICYMI: An Introduction to Micro Combined Heat & Power
- Partner Events: Unlocking Stretch Code Resources & More!
ComEd Incentives and Technical Support
ComEd offers financial incentives, free energy modeling, and expert technical support for commercial and industrial new construction and major renovation projects that require design beyond standard energy code requirements. For sustainability-focused teams, this is an opportunity to build high-performance buildings using incentives to help reduce up front costs and deliver the long-term benefit of reduced energy usage. Apply in the early stages of project development to maximize your incentives. Our technical experts will assist from the design stage all the way to project completion.
There's no catch. Buildings that perform beyond code reduce grid demand, and incentives can reduce costs. Everybody wins.
Start building smarter from day one. Contact us at BusinessEE@comed.com or call 1-855-433-2700 and mention "New Construction." Funds are limited.
New Funding Opportunity:
Efficient & Resilient Public Buildings Grant Program
Illinois EPA's Office of Energy is funding energy efficiency and resilience improvements in local government buildings. Awards run $50,000 to $200,000.
Eligible facilities must be owned by a city, county, or other unit of local government and used for public services. Projects must come from an energy assessment or audit completed in the last five years — insulation, windows, lighting, HVAC retrofits, controls. Applications are scored on dollars invested per kilowatt-hour saved, so efficient projects score best. Cost share is 5% or 10% depending on award size.
Two things to do first: register in the GATA portal, and get your audit in hand.
Applications are open now till September 30!
New on The Building Energy Pod
Chyanne Husar,
founder and CEO of HUSARCH, sat down with us to explore how a traditional architecture firm can evolve into a broader sustainability and energy efficiency practice. She explains how peer networks like AIA and Illinois Green helped her find support, build cross-sector connections, and move from single-building work into portfolio-scale impact.
In this episode, we sat down with Paul Sambanis, PhD, Vice President of Sustainability at Sloan, to dig into the water-energy nexus, smart plumbing retrofits, and water's overlooked role in building performance. He walked through the fixture retrofit at Wrigley Field —one of Chicago's oldest and busiest venues— and showed how older buildings can cut water use, energy, and risk without major structural changes.
Watch: Funding and Financing Guide Overview
Looking for financing for your next energy efficiency project? The Hub curates financing, funding, incentives, rebates, and tools to help you find the pathway best suited to your project. Check out this video for a 2-minute overview of how to fully leverage our Funding and Financing Guide. We break these resources down by commercial buildings, small businesses, multifamily projects, and more!
#ICYMI: Hub Education Events
An Introduction to Micro Combined Heat & Power
This virtual session provides an overview of micro combined heat and power (mCHP) — an on-site energy solution that reduces costs and improves resiliency, offered through the Peoples Gas and North Shore Gas Energy Efficiency Programs. Whether you manage a multifamily property, commercial building, healthcare facility, campus, or any site with simultaneous electrical and heating demands, mCHP can help you save energy while boosting resiliency.
Upcoming Partner Events
Better Together: Quantifying the Benefits of Coordinated Occupancy-Based Control of Lighting and HVAC
Hosted by U.S. Department of Energy
September 15 | Virtual
Occupancy-based controls can significantly reduce energy use in lighting and HVAC systems, but many buildings control these two systems separately, missing opportunities for even greater savings. When lighting and HVAC controls work together, projects can reduce material costs and improve the occupant experience. This webinar will introduce new design tools and a step-by-step workflow to help measure energy savings from coordinated controls and decide which projects are worth the investment.
Plug in to Cost Savings: Reducing Operating Costs with Effective Plug and Process Load (PPL) Strategies
Hosted by U.S. Department of Energy
September 17 | Virtual
Hear directly from partners who have successfully implemented plug and process load (PPL) management strategies in their organizations. PPL strategies will span single-stakeholder, multi-stakeholder, and collaborative-stakeholder efforts, as described in the National Laboratory of the Rockies’s Categorization Resource. Partners will highlight their approaches, results, key takeaways, and lessons learned and provide attendees with practical, actionable steps to reduce PPLs and achieve meaningful cost savings in their buildings.
Unlocking Stretch Code Resources: How Illinois Communities Can Access up to $1 million in New Climate Bank Funding
Hosted by Midwest Energy Efficiency Alliance
October 6 | Virtual
Join MEEA, the Illinois Finance Authority Climate Bank, and the City of Evanston for a webinar exploring a funding opportunity available to communities pursuing the Illinois Stretch Energy Code. Learn how municipalities can leverage this grant resource to support local climate goals, and accelerate high-performance building practices. Speakers will share program details, eligibility considerations, and practical insights from real-world implementation efforts.
