Illinois Building Energy Challenge

The Illinois Building Energy Challenge is a recognition and award program celebrating energy use reduction that is open to all commercial, industrial & multi-family buildings in Illinois. The Challenge invites building owners and operators across the state to put energy-efficient practices into action — and to have a little fun doing it, with a spirit of friendly competition among peers.  Participating is free, and every qualifying building is encouraged to join.   

What are you measuring?

The Challenge is measured through year-over-year percent change in Weather Normalized Source Energy Use Intensity. This means you will be comparing your building's percent change of energy use to other buildings in your category. 

 

For this Challenge, we compare year-end calendar data from December 31st. Percent Change is the current year’s usage minus the prior year’s usage divided by the prior year. It tells us whether a building lost or gained energy over a 2 year period.

Who is eligible?

Buildings of every kind are invited to participate! That includes commercial, industrial, institutional, municipal, non-profits, multi-family, education, retail, and more (single family residential is not eligible at this time). Newly constructed buildings aren’t eligible either, since participating buildings need at least 24 months of energy data available by the cutoff date. Any organization can enter one or more buildings or several, of any type, as long as the building is located in Illinois. Want to be notified when enrollment opens? Start here.

Why should I participate?

Frequently Asked Questions

  • What is the Challenge timeline?

    Once the Challenge goes live in Fall 2026, you can connect with us and register your building at any time throughout the year. Complete energy data for each property is due in March and awards will be held annually at the Illinois Energy Efficiency Showcase in June of each year starting in 2027.

  • What categories are in the Challenge?

    • Assembly & Gathering  
    • Education  
    • Healthcare & Science  
    • Industrial & Warehousing  
    • Lodging & Multifamily  
    • Mixed Use & Other  
    • Office  
    • Retail & Service 

  • What are the requirements to participate?

    To participate, you’ll upload complete source energy use data—electric, steam, natural gas, renewable energy, etc.—for the past two calendar years into ENERGY STAR® Portfolio Manager (ESPM). Want a fuller picture of your building’s energy use? We encourage you to enter energy data going back as far back as you'd like, though anything beyond two years is optional for the Challenge. Once your data uploaded into ESPM, simply share your account with “Illinois Building Energy Challenge.” 

  • Does the Challenge share my data?

    Your privacy matters to us. If your building takes home an award, we’ll celebrate by sharing your energy savings percentage, and we’ll also report the combined energy savings achieved across all participants. Beyond that, the Illinois Building Energy Challenge never discloses your individual energy data. 

Excited to sign up for the 2027 Illinois Building Energy Challenge?

Sign up below to keep up with news & updates and be informed when it goes live in Fall 2026.

Create your own user feedback survey

Have a question about the challenge?


Contact our Senior Program Manager, Miranda Wright, today!