ComEd Energy Efficiency Program Provides $8 Million in Incentives to Support 57 Affordable Housing Developments

89-unit Encuentro Square in Chicago’s Logan Square neighborhood is latest development project to break ground

CHICAGO--(BUSINESS WIRE)--To support the development of more energy-efficient, affordable-housing units across northern Illinois, while improving the comfort of the residents who reside there, ComEd has provided more than $8 million in incentives via 57 projects, or approximately 3,300 affordable-housing units since 2017.

Through ComEd’s Affordable Housing New Construction (AHNC) offering, the energy company offers technical assistance and incentives to developers of new and renovated affordable housing projects to help them exceed requirements of the Illinois Energy Conservation Code, which sets minimum efficiency standards in new construction for a structure's walls, floors, ceilings, lighting, windows, doors, duct leakage, and air leakage. These features not only improve the comfort of residents of these units, they also help the units become more energy efficient, which helps reduce energy costs.

“ComEd’s AHNC offering helps advance our goal of empowering developers to adopt higher efficiency equipment that will lower energy use, reduce carbon emissions and enhance air quality across all of our communities,” said Gil C. Quiniones, CEO of ComEd. “By collaborating with affordable housing developers, ComEd helps ensure families have equal access to housing and features that will help them manage both energy use and bills.”

Encuentro Square

The latest project to break ground is ComEd’s collaboration with Evergreen Real Estate Group and Latin United Community Housing Association (LUCHA) on the Encuentro Square development in Chicago’s Logan Square/Humboldt Park neighborhoods. The first phase of this project, in partnership with the City of Chicago and Chicago Housing Authority, consists of a total of 89 units of affordable housing across two new state-of-the-art buildings at the west end of the popular Bloomingdale, or 606, Trail. The project includes a substantial number of larger units dedicated to families earning at or below 60% of the state’s Area Median Income, or about $66,180 for a family of four.

When completed in late-2024, onsite amenities for the first phase will include a teaching kitchen, lounge, community room, children’s room, and community support services. Sustainable design features include high-efficiency HVAC equipment, LED lighting fixtures and ENERGY STAR^®-certified appliances.

“Evergreen Real Estate Group is proud to be part of the collaboration between business, government and community that is providing critical affordable housing options for families along the 606 Trail,” said David Block, Director of Development at Evergreen Real Estate Group. “In addition, providing quality, energy-efficient units further ensures that families continue to have options in developing neighborhoods. This project will be an exclamation point where the 606 begins to the west.”

ComEd is a unit of Chicago-based Exelon Corporation (NASDAQ: EXC), a Fortune 250 energy company with approximately 10 million electricity and natural gas customers – the largest number of customers in the U.S. ComEd powers the lives of more than 4 million customers across northern Illinois, or 70 percent of the state’s population. For more information visit ComEd.com and connect with the company on Facebook, X, Instagram and YouTube.