Transitioning to clean energy in Naperville

Yesterday, we spent the evening with our partners at Citizens Utility Board (CUB) and Naperville Environmental and Sustainability Task Force (NEST) talking about how residents can take advantage of clean energy in their homes.

In a state where almost 80% of homes still rely on methane gas, it’s vital to address not only the economic and environmental risks associated with gas, but also the risks methane gas poses to our health.

However, transitioning to electricity is a bit more complicated in a place like Naperville. Naperville has a municipally-owned electric utility, which means that many residents cannot benefit from the energy efficiency or electrification programs offered by electric utilities like ComEd or Ameren. 

Despite this challenge, there are still opportunities to save if residents are looking to go all-electric. Nicor Gas offers energy efficiency and weatherization programs that can still help reduce energy bills and household greenhouse gas emissions.

Finally, Naperville resident and NEST member Cathy Clarkin spoke to residents about the reality of going all-electric. Her home is completely disconnected from the gas system, and she spoke about the process of eliminating methane gas from her home entirely. 

Clarkin highlighted that now is an ideal time to go electric thanks to the federal tax credits available through the Inflation Reduction Act and to take action to rely on clean energy in your home.

We want to thank Ben Mjolsness, Naperville’s Sustainability Manager, and Senator Laura Ellman, for coming out and participating in the event, as well as NEST for hosting us.