Facilities Dive – University of Illinois Chicago tackles deferred maintenance at no upfront cost

The University of Illinois Chicago is making a push to upgrade its facilities through a partnership with Ameresco that’s intended to address deferred maintenance of mechanical equipment and deliver HVAC upgrades to critical campus buildings.

The $30 million energy conservation project at UIC, one of three campuses in the University of Illinois system and the largest university in the Chicago area, includes the installation of 24 energy efficient air handling units and implementation of heating and cooling smart controls in an administrative building and a science building.

The initiative is expected to generate approximately $1 million in yearly energy and operational savings and reduce campus greenhouse gas emissions by 2,100 metric tons of carbon dioxide annually.

The upgrades are intended to address deferred maintenance at the facilities at no immediate cost and on an expedited timeline by using an energy savings performance contract, or ESPC.

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