Lombard, Wheaton sign up to save energy, money

Lombard and Wheaton have announced partnerships with the Citizens Utility Board to promote a residential energy- and money-saving program.

CUB Energy Saver is a free online service available to all Illinois ComEd customers. It analyzes the energy use habits of homeowners and apartment dwellers who sign up and gives them tips for how to save energy and money, Citizens Utility Board spokesman Jim Chilsen said.

While residents of communities such as Arlington Heights, Des Plaines and Palatine also have signed up for CUB Energy Saver, only Evanston, Lombard and Wheaton have official partnerships, Chilsen said.

“The intention is to get our residents to become more committed to reducing their energy use, Susan Wallace, special projects administrator for the city of Wheaton, said. “We did hear from a lot of residents that are interested in conserving energy and this is one opportunity for them to do that, so we're excited.

So far, 101 Wheaton residents have signed up for the program, according to cubenergysaver.com, the website where anyone interested in the program can go to join or get more information. That puts the city 32nd among Illinois communities in terms of energy savings and residents involved, Chilsen said.

“It's a great fit for creating community partnerships, Chilsen said. “It has the potential to build a lot of community around the idea of saving energy and saving money.

Communities that partner with the Citizens Utility Board will receive five compact fluorescent light bulbs for every resident that signs up for the energy saver program up to 2,000 people, Chilsen said

“It's always been a challenge to find something that was easily accessible to residents where they could be energy efficient, Lonnie Morris, a Lombard resident and Illinois chair of Cool Cities, a Sierra Club project committed to energy efficiency and clean energy. “This one is a real gateway program. It's so easy.

People enter their name, address and e-mail address to sign up, and can enter their ComEd account number for more personalized energy-saving tips. The site tracks each resident's energy and cash savings over time.

“One thing that attracted us to participate in this program is the ability to document very well how much our residents and our businesses are saving as far as energy and how that corresponds to saving money, Dave Gorman, Lombard's assistant director of public works, said.

Lombard had 64 residents signed up as of Tuesday, and was in 18th place based on energy savings and resident participation, according to cubenergysaver.com.

“The power of this program is that it saves people money, Gorman said. “It's a no-brainer.