Hub September 2025 Newsletter
Building Energy Hub September 2025 Newsletter
Greetings -
With summer officially over, we’re taking the momentum around our building performance solutions into the fall season. October 1 is Energy Efficiency Day and Heat Pump Water Heater Day is October 23—which is the perfect opportunity to launch our new education series. Join us for “Start Here: A Building Retrofit Series for Owners and Managers” launching on October 14.
We also want to thank our Summer Intern Grace Yao for her excellent work on a variety of data analysis projects, and welcome our new Fall Intern Kieran Stover to the team! Kieran will serve as our podcast and video editor, and help the Hub expand its multimedia capabilities.
Thanks,
Katie, Kindy, Matt, Rimjhim & Kieran
The Hub Team
New Episode: The Building Energy Pod
Nancy Kohout, Senior Principal at SmithGroup, joined us for the latest episode of The Building Energy Pod to discuss the need for strategic long-term planning in retrofitting existing buildings. She also explored the significance of industry collaboration, mentorship, and her own leadership in fostering a diverse and inclusive engineering community. Listen below for tips on how to get your decarbonization plan started today!
Contractor Corner
October 23 is Heat Pump Water Heater Day, dedicated to education and awareness on residential and commercial heat pump water heaters (HPWH), with special events during the week leading up to the big day. Explore events and register here.
Heat Pump Water Heater Installer Training Day
This training, held both in-person in San Jose, CA and livestreamed, will cover all aspects of HPWH systems, including installation best practices, system design, and integration with advanced technologies such as recirculation pumps and drain water heat recovery. The training will also feature combination water and space heating systems and skid-mounted central HPWH systems.
LinkedIn Live training topics include:
- 3:00 PM CT — HPWH installation training across five leading brands, including AOS, LG, Rheem, GE, and Bradford White.
- 4:30 PM CT — Installation training on commercial skid-mounted HPWH systems.
- 5:00 PM CT — Installation training on combination systems that use high-efficiency heat pumps to heat space and water.
Whether you’re just starting out with HPWHs or sharpening your skills, this event is built for the trades and designed to move the industry forward.
Energy Efficiency Day #EEDay
Tickets are now on sale for Illinois Green Alliance's inaugural Getting to Zero Tech Form—a fresh, new take on their annual Summit! This novel format will feature a collection of fast-paced presentations by a diverse array of industry experts, showcasing cutting-edge advancements in building technology that drive sustainable and regenerative approaches to the design, construction and operation of the built environment. Tickets also include admission to our annual Limelight Celebration & Emerald Awards Ceremony later that evening!
Upcoming Hub Events
Funding Your Green Projects: Federal & Incentive Updates
October 8 @ 12PM
Join the Building Energy Hub and Illinois Green Alliance for a free interactive session exploring the latest tools, strategies, and real-world examples for financing sustainable development projects for both new construction and building retrofit projects.
Finance Fridays: SomerCor Small Business Financing Products
October 10 @ 12PM
Join the Hub and SomerCor for a free 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. These are targeted financing solutions for businesses looking to make real estate purchases and/or permanent building improvements.
Start Here: The Business Case for Decarbonization
October 14 @ 12PM
Join the Hub for a conversation on why decarbonization is becoming one of the most important and financially sound decisions building owners can make today. This free session will introduce the fundamentals of decarbonization and explore how carbon translates into dollars through energy costs, operational risks, and shifting market expectations.
Finance Fridays: Energy Efficiency Future Grant
October 17 @ 12PM
Join the Hub for a free overview of the Illinois Department of Commerce & Economic Opportunity's Equitable Energy Future Grant Program. This 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.
Upcoming Partner Events
Illinois Stretch Energy Codes Training
Hosted by Midwest Energy Efficiency Alliance
Join these webinars hosted by our partners at MEEA to learn about requirements for the state-developed stretch code aimed at improving building energy efficiency.
Residential Training: September 30 @ 1PM
10th Annual Innovation Rodeo
Hosted by Cyclone Energy Group
October 9 @ 12PM
Join Cyclone Energy Group for their 10th Annual Innovation Rodeo on Thursday October 9th at the iconic One East Wacker Building for a day of knowledge sharing and networking with key industry experts covering a wide range of topics related to high-performance buildings. This event is approved for 4 hours AIA LU/HSW.
ASHRAE Building Decarbonization Conference
Hosted by ASHRAE
October 22-24
ASHRAE’s 4th building decarbonization conference will feature a significant focus on strategies and solutions for scaling up building decarbonization. The conference will bring together engineering and technical solution providers with building owners, utility program managers, local governments and financial services providers who are increasingly challenged to meet stringent building decarbonization goals, policies and regulations in a practical, cost-effective manner.
Chicago Build Expo 2025
October 29-30
The Expo features AIA CES approved workshops and attendees include contractors, architects, realtors, civil engineers, developers, government, house builders, and construction professionals.
