Northbrook Park District May See Annual $135K Savings With ComEd Pact

NORTHBROOK, IL — The Northbrook Park District could see a savings of more than $135,000 per year on electric bills while also qualifying for more than $900,000 in incentives thanks to an energy efficiency effort that the district is working on with ComEd, officials announced last week.

The Park District and utility company announced progress on an eight-location energy savings project that when completed could lead to substantial savings. The effort is made possible by the ComEd Energy Efficiency Program, which recently reached an important milestone: Since 2008, the program has saved northern Illinois families and businesses approximately $7 billion on their electric bills, officials said in a news release.

In May, the program also received the highest level of recognition from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) with an ENERGY STAR® Partner of the Year—Sustained Excellence Award.

“I can't think of a better way to celebrate the achievement of $7 billion in customer savings than by recognizing the Northbrook Park District for their energy-saving efforts,” Erica Borggren, vice president of customer solutions for ComEd, said in the release. “Thanks to the ComEd Energy Efficiency Program, our customers have saved on average about $1,750 – that's enough to cover the cost of an average residential energy bill for 19 months.”

The park district has collaborated with ComEd and its authorized energy-efficiency service providers since the summer of 2019 to replace light fixtures with new, reliable, resilient and energy-efficient LED fixtures at eight separate district locations.

Once completed, the entire project could save the district nearly 3.8 gigawatt-hours of electricity a year, which is the amount of energy it takes to power nearly 450 ComEd customers’ homes, officials announced. These savings have an environmental benefit equal to reducing more than 3.2 million pounds of carbon emissions from the atmosphere, planting nearly 1,800 acres of trees, or removing more than 300 cars from the road.

The projects taking place at Northbrook Park District through the ComEd Energy Efficiency Program fit into the district’s mission of environmental and financial stewardship. In addition to the current replacement projects at parks and facilities, the district has been the beneficiary of other energy efficiency grants from ComEd at Heritage Oaks Golf Club and Techny Prairie Activity Center (TPAC), a newly verified net-zero energy facility with 833 solar panels on the roof and highly efficient mechanicals.

“The installation of these new fixtures at no cost to the district is a win-win providing long-term effects for both the organization and the community,” Chris Leiner, director of parks and properties for the Northbrook Park District, said in the release. “Along with lowered energy use and expenses over the coming years, maintenance costs will decrease as well. We are excited to have been approved for the current projects and look forward to continuing our partnership with ComEd.”