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Evanston Green Homes pilot reports early wins, highlights funding and enrollment challenges
Summary
City staff and partners reported completed energy-efficiency upgrades at four properties, a 30-unit enrollment across 15 properties and construction timelines of two to seven weeks; presenters said ARPA funding limits and deferred maintenance present constraints to broader electrification and outreach.
Evanston — City sustainability staff and partner organizations updated the Housing and Community Development Committee Tuesday on the Evanston Green Homes pilot, a $1 million ARPA-funded program that upgrades home energy systems to improve efficiency, resilience and long-term housing affordability.
The pilot has completed construction at four properties and enrolled 30 housing units across 15 properties, city sustainability and partner staff told the committee. Construction for individual properties has ranged from two to seven weeks, and the project has prioritized electrification where possible, including full electrification at one property.
Why it matters: The pilot tests whether targeted energy upgrades—heat-pump water heaters, electrical-panel upgrades, insulation and weatherization—can lower household energy costs and support housing affordability. Presenters said the pilot also surfaced common deferred-maintenance needs that must be addressed before efficiency work, raising costs and limiting the scope of upgrades for some single-family homes.
"Whenever possible, we're trying to do electrification,"…
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