Chicago Homeowners Let The Sunshine In

A pilot program in the Chicago area will provide 100 local homeowners with solar panels, and another 130,000 homeowners with smart meters to monitor their home energy use, according to a recent Architect’s Newspaper article.

Rooftop innovation is becoming commonplace in and around Chicago, the article notes—the city boasts more green roofs than any other city in the country, as well as a growing green roof industry.

The program, spearheaded by local energy utility ComEd, will distribute meters to homeowners in the Humboldt Park neighborhood of the city of Chicago, as well as the suburbs of Bellwood, Berwyn, Broadview, Forest Park, Hillside, Maywood, Melrose Park, Oak Park, River Forest, and Tinley Park, according to the article. Homeowners receiving the smart meters can also apply for the solar panel systems. The area covered in the pilot program includes a variety of socioeconomic demographics, allowing the utility to monitor energy use in different population groups, the article said.

“Applicants will be evaluated on the orientation of their houses, the square footage of their roofs, and other factors. And the home’s wiring will need to be up to code,” said Maryl Freestone, ComEd project manager for the solar pilot. The pilot program is made possible by a $5 million stimulus grant from the U.S. Department of Energy.

The 100 lucky homeowners, whose homes are to be outfitted with solar panels, will be able to sell the excess power generated by the panels back to ComEd, and half of the houses will be provided with battery storage for power outages as well. The units have a capacity of approximately 3 kilowatts per house, and each system would be valued at roughly $30,000.

About 8,000 of the homeowners receiving the smart meters will also receive advanced display devices or thermostats to be able to further control their energy use. Customers will save money if they reduce their energy usage during peak hours, according to the article.

---
Chris Timmerman
Contributing Writer
Green Education Services
www.greenedu.com