Chicago City Council Passes Energy Benchmarking Ordinance

CHICAGO (September 11, 2013) – The Chicago City Council passed the Chicago Energy Use Benchmarking Ordinance today, which will give the public access to energy efficiency data for buildings over 50,000 square feet. The Natural Resources Defense Council (NRDC) has partnered with the City of Chicago to establish the Chicago Commercial Buildings Initiative, showcasing the impact that energy efficiency efforts can have on large buildings. The ordinance will continue to expand the impact of energy efficiency on the city’s skyline.

Following is a statement from Rebecca Stanfield, Deputy Director of Midwest Policy for the NRDC:

“This ordinance can be huge for Chicago. Locked up in Chicago's buildings is an enormous well of potential for saving money, creating jobs and reducing pollution through cost-effective energy efficiency improvements. Today, the City Council took a big step towards capturing all those benefits and took an important swipe at Chicago’s contribution to climate change.

“Knowledge is power—and in this case, knowledge about power can have some big benefits for this city.”

Stanfield’s Op-Ed on the ordinance ran this morning in Crain’s Chicago Business:

http://www.chicagobusiness.com/article/20130911/OPINION/130919969/chicago-can-unleash-economic-benefits-of-energy-efficiency-heres-how