illinois_cpp_letter_3.2.16-2b477cf9d3ba7e6d.pdf

A letter dated March 2, 2016, addressed to Illinois Governor Bruce Rauner from a coalition of energy and environmental organizations, urging the state to prioritize energy efficiency as the most cost-effective strategy for complying with the Clean Power Plan.

• Energy efficiency is presented as the lowest-cost demand side energy resource, being cheaper than renewables or electric and gas generation. It is described as the fastest and cheapest method to meet energy demand and improve air quality through residential upgrades, commercial building energy reduction, and improved manufacturing efficiency.
• The authors suggest that Illinois can achieve over 80 percent of its 2030 compliance limit under the Clean Power Plan by implementing specific policies: updated building energy codes, increased use of combined heat and power (CHP) generation, and the adoption of an energy-savings target.
• Integrating energy efficiency into the state's plan could result in avoiding more than 29 million tons of carbon dioxide emissions and save the people of Illinois $5.4 billion.
• Beyond utility-administered programs, the letter identifies non-utility efficiency opportunities including residential retrofit financing, the procurement of energy savings performance contracts (ESPCs), the adoption of building energy codes with above-code green building certification, and investments in combined heat and power generation (CHP). The U.S. ESPC market specifically generates over $5 billion in new investments annually.
• The coalition recommends that Governor Rauner opt into the Clean Energy Incentive Program (CEIP) to maximize cost-effective emissions reductions.

APA

Environmental and Energy Study Institute (2016). illinois_cpp_letter_3.2.16-2b477cf9d3ba7e6d.pdf. https://www.eesi.org/files/Illinois_CPP_Letter_3.2.16.pdf

Chicago

Environmental and Energy Study Institute. illinois_cpp_letter_3.2.16-2b477cf9d3ba7e6d.pdf. 2016. https://www.eesi.org/files/Illinois_CPP_Letter_3.2.16.pdf.

Wikipedia

{{cite press release |author=Environmental and Energy Study Institute |title=illinois_cpp_letter_3.2.16-2b477cf9d3ba7e6d.pdf |date=2 March 2016 |url=https://www.eesi.org/files/Illinois_CPP_Letter_3.2.16.pdf |access-date=17 August 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@misc{environmentalandenergystudyinstitute2016illinoiscppletter32162b477cf9d3ba7e6dpdf, author = {{Environmental and Energy Study Institute}}, title = {{illinois\_cpp\_letter\_3.2.16-2b477cf9d3ba7e6d.pdf}}, publisher = {Environmental and Energy Study Institute}, year = {2016}, month = mar, url = {https://www.eesi.org/files/Illinois_CPP_Letter_3.2.16.pdf}, urldate = {2026-08-17}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }