Chicago, Illinois
Chicago is the largest Midwestern city and the third most populated city in the United States, with 2.7 million residents and a surrounding metropolitan area of 9 million residents. Over the past century, Chicago has been a national center of social justice, civil rights, and labor movements, and is home to the late Hazel M. Johnson, widely recognized as the “mother of the environmental justice movement.” Chicago completed its Climate Action Plan in 2022, committing the city to a 62% reduction in GHG emissions by 2040, with a strong emphasis on environmental justice and community benefits. Because buildings account for nearly 70% of the city’s GHG emissions, building decarbonization is central to achieving these goals.
Chicago Programs, Policies, and Strategies
In 2021, Chicago supercharged its climate efforts by dedicating $188 million through a general obligation bond that funds climate and other Covid-related recovery projects. The bond allocates $41 million to building electrification and decarbonization programs such as the Green Homes Chicago initiative, which provides free home energy upgrades and energy efficiency retrofits to income-eligible homeowners. In 2022, the Chicago Building Decarbonization Working Group released a Recommendations Report, which accompanies the City’s Climate Action Plan, detailing 26 building-sector strategies to drive down emissions while advancing equitable outcomes across the city.
BEI began work with Chicago in 2024 through Community Climate Shift, a groundbreaking initiative focused on community-led policymaking to reduce energy and carbon from buildings while centering community priorities such as public health and job creation. Since then, BEI has expanded its work and is coordinating closely with Chicago’s Department of Environment and Department of Housing on a range of potential building electrification policies and programs. BEI is partnering with City staff and local stakeholders to explore the future adoption of policies like building performance standards, expanded programs, and new construction electrification initiatives. BEI is also actively engaged in the Illinois Clean Jobs Coalition to promote the decarbonization and electrification of Illinois buildings, including through a potential statewide Retrofit Navigator.
BEI will continue expanding its work in Chicago and Illinois, supporting both the City and State’s commitments to improving the health and livelihoods of its residents, especially those from frontline and historically marginalized communities. Continued progress in Chicago and Illinois will help pave the path for other Midwestern jurisdictions to develop regionally-appropriate strategies and scale up investments in healthy, climate resilient buildings and homes.
