This new half-day conference brings together decision-makers from government, housing, utilities, and the private sector to highlight success stories of buildings that have completed recent retrofit and decarbonization—including commercial, multifamily, and affordable housing projects. Expert practitioners will share details of the building improvements that were made, challenges that were overcome, project outcomes, financing used, and lessons learned.
As we dive into the project case studies, we will also be sharing relevant resources and tools—including financial incentives, technical guides, and best practices—that will help attendees tackle their own retrofit and efficiency projects.
Who is Attending
Leading architects, engineers, contractors, developers, building owners, facility managers, property managers, building users, lenders, suppliers, government, housing, and utilities.
Who is Presenting
You will be hearing from chief engineers, building owners, property managers, utility specialists, and more!
Agenda
Illinois Energy Efficiency Showcase
2026 Digital Program
10-Minute Resource Speaker --
Building Performance and Decarbonization Planning
from the Building Energy Hub and Slipstream
Every high-performing building started with a plan — and this session is here to help you build yours. The Building Energy Hub's Building Performance and Decarbonization Guide gives building owners, operators, and managers a clear, step-by-step roadmap for reducing energy use while strengthening long-term building value. Connor Jansen will walk you how you can use this resource to understand your building's current energy use and emissions profile, develop a holistic decarbonization plan tailored to your property, and implement that plan with the right team, procurement tools, and measurement strategies.
15-Minute Case Study --
Monitoring Based Commissioning: Rush University Medical Center
In this session, Ian Hughes shares how Rush University Medical Center used the ComEd Energy Efficiency Program to heal the inefficiencies in their building automation system. With low-cost solutions discovered through long-term, monitoring-based commissioning (MBCx), RUSH is saving an estimated $2 million annually and counting! Rush's success highlights what’s possible when smart strategy meets smart energy use.
5-Minute Resource Speaker --
Retro-Commissioning from ComEd
Some of the best energy savings are already hiding inside your building — you just need someone to find them. ComEd's Retro-Commissioning (RCx) Program does exactly that, offering commercial, industrial, and public sector buildings in northern Illinois a fully funded engineering study of existing building systems to uncover low-cost operational improvements at no upfront cost. In this session, hear how participants are hitting average energy savings of 5–15% on annual energy costs — often through targeted adjustments to controls, scheduling, and equipment operation rather than major capital upgrades — with simple paybacks of less than 18 months.
15-Minute Case Study --
Long-term Decarbonization and Capital Planning:
340 on the Park
Standing among the tallest all-residential buildings in the country, 340 on the Park didn't overhaul everything at once — they did it strategically. Emmy Riley, Energy Engineering Team Leader at Cyclone Energy Group, will share how an incremental approach to higher performance paid off in a big way, from retrocommissioning and phased upgrades to a major milestone: converting from a district chilled water cooling source to an independent chilled water plant. This is a practical roadmap for anyone thinking about long-term decarbonization and capital planning done right.
5-Minute Resource Speaker --
Energy Efficiency Revolving Loan Fund
from Illinois Climate Bank
In this session, hear directly from the Illinois Climate Bank about how short-term loans of up to $1 million through the Energy Efficiency Revolving Loan Fund (EE RLF) are helping commercial and multifamily building owners bridge funding gaps and unlock clean energy upgrades right now, from solar and battery storage to geothermal and energy efficiency retrofits. If financing has been the missing piece, this one's for you.
15-Minute Case Study --
Strategic Energy Management Program: Willis Tower
What does it take to run one of Chicago's most iconic skyscrapers — and do it smarter? Find out from Barbara Hickey, Director of Operations at Willis Tower, as she walks through how her team tapped into ComEd's Strategic Energy Management Program to its fullest potential. From real energy and cost savings to the power of rallying your building engineers around a shared performance goal, this session is a hands-on look at what collective action looks like inside one of the city's most recognizable buildings.
5-Minute Resource Speaker --
USGBC Strategic Decarbonization Tools
from the US Green Building Council
Where do you start with decarbonization planning? USGBC has developed a suite of tools to answer exactly that — supporting LEED v5's focus on decarbonization planning as a key practice for every building. The tools are designed to redefine best practice, build a shared language across the industry, and make strategic decarbonization financially smart. In this session, Khoi Do will share how the new Strategic Decarbonization Workbook helps teams turn complex building information into clear paths toward decarbonization — making it easier to engage stakeholders, share findings, and take action. Best of all, the workbook is available to every project, LEED certification or not, so more teams across the industry can put strategic decarbonization planning to work.
15-Minute Case Study --
Electrifying Vintage Affordable Housing: Lessons from a Recent Multifamily Retrofit in Chicago
Comprehensive decarbonization retrofits in older, occupied multifamily buildings are essential for an equitable clean energy transition. Mark Milby will examine weatherization and electrification in a vintage affordable multifamily building in Chicago. Discover how an integrated approach is delivering deep energy savings while using practical strategies to overcome technical barriers, create tenant bill savings, ensure tenant satisfaction, and foster long-term positive outcomes for nonprofit affordable housing owner Bickerdike Redevelopment Corporation.
5-Minute Resource Speaker --
Energy Efficiency Assessment and Energy Efficiency Trust Fund Grant Programs from the Illinois Office of Energy
Explore how organizations can access grants of up to $60,000 to conduct professional energy assessments that surface opportunities like insulation upgrades, HVAC improvements, and lighting retrofits — then use those results to apply for implementation grants of up to $1 million to get the work done. From reducing energy costs to improving building comfort and delivering lasting benefits for residents, this is a look at how Illinois EPA is helping communities turn assessment into action.
15-Minute Case Study --
Layering Financing to a Comprehensive Retrofit:
Brainerd Senior Housing
How should project teams approach upgrading affordable housing with aging infrastructure for residents who deserve better? This session with Kyle Lilly breaks down how Full Circle Communities pulled together layered public, utility, and housing funding to make it happen — delivering a comprehensive, resident-centered decarbonization retrofit that preserved affordable senior housing while modernizing the building, tackling deferred maintenance, and meaningfully improving comfort, health, and long-term performance for Brainerd residents.
5-Minute Resource Speaker --
Energy Efficiency Programs from People’s Gas
Reducing your building's natural gas use doesn't have to start with a major capital project. The Peoples Gas and North Shore Gas Energy Efficiency Program meets residential and business customers where they are, offering a suite of tools ranging from free on-site or virtual energy assessments to rebates and incentives for equipment upgrades, engineering services to identify high-impact natural gas savings opportunities, and expert support to help move projects forward. In this session, hear how the program can help buildings cut energy use, shrink their carbon footprint, and make the case for energy efficiency investments that pay off.
More information on speakers and content coming soon!
Have a question?
Have a project or resource you want us to know about?
Contact our Senior Program Manager, Miranda Wright, today!
