Illinois Environmental Protection Agency (Illinois EPA) Director John J. Kim announced that the Office of Energy has awarded $789,398 in grant funding to three low-income residential properties in Illinois. The funded projects will reduce energy costs and improve thermal comfort in residences.

"The cost of energy is a substantial burden for many families in Illinois. This investment in low-income individual and multi-family residences will make a meaningful impact to conserve energy and lower utility costs." said Director Kim. "The Illinois EPA looks forward to tracking the progress of these projects and improving the building performance of Illinois' affordable housing inventory."

In October 2021, Illinois EPA announced the Low-Income Residential Energy Efficiency Program, offering funding to public housing authorities, units of local government (municipalities, counties, or townships), or non-profit organizations that were customers of a municipally owned electric utility or an electric cooperative. Grant applications were ranked by multiple factors including the energy savings per dollar funded and geographic location within an Illinois EPA designated Environmental Justice Area of Concern. A total of $789,398 in grant funding will be leveraged by $67,767.60 in matching funds from the grantees. The grantees are:

1. Effingham County Public Housing Authority (Altamont public housing) - $464,730
2. Illinois Independent Living Center (Naperville multi-family building) - $221,498
3. Keyhole to Opportunity NFP (Cairo affordable housing) - $103,170

The performance period for the grants will end in December 2022. These awards will collectively save the grantees 362,692 kWhs of energy annually. Implementation of weatherization best practices, window replacement, heating and cooling equipment retrofits, and lighting upgrades are examples of funded projects.

The grant program invests funding from the State of Illinois Energy Efficiency Trust Fund (20 ILCS 687/6-6). The Energy Efficiency Trust Fund was established to benefit residential electric customers through projects determined to reduce energy demand.