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A Study Session to Review Proposed Energy Grant Guidelines for 2026 and Other Energy Efficiency Related Programming.
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Introduction
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Village Staff have created new grant guidelines for the 2026 Energy Grants based on feedback from the community and Sustainability Credits based on input from the Village Board and Oak Park Climate Action Network (OPCAN).
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Recommended Action
Staff is seeking the Village Board's feedback on the changes to the Energy Grants program and creation of the Sustainability Credits prior to bringing forward the final guidelines for approval.
Prior Board Action
The Board has taken the following prior action(s):
* The Village Board approved $750,000 in the 2026 Fiscal Year Budget for the Energy Grants.
* The Village Board approved the 2025 Energy Grant Guidelines at the January 14, 2025 Board Meeting.
Background
The Climate Ready Oak Park Plan commits the Village to reducing Greenhouse Gas emissions by 60% by 2030. Residential properties represent 38.8% of total community-wide emissions in 2022. The Village's Climate Ready Energy Grants have been providing residents with monetary assistance to make energy efficiency upgrades.
This resolution aligns with CROP actions EN03 and BD03.
In FY2025, the Sustainability budget included $750,000 allocated towards the Climate Ready Energy Grants. Grant awards fell into three tiers based on income.
* Households at 80% or below AMI were eligible for up to $10,000.
* Households between 80% and 120% AMI were eligible for up to $5,000, matching.
* Households above 120% AMI were eligible for up to $1,000, matching.
As of November 2025, 53 applications were submitted, including 21 for Tier 1, 7 in Tier 2, and 19 in Tier 3. These applications represent less than the $750,000 allocated for the program in 2025. Hearing feedback from applicants and potential applicants and seeking input from the OPCAN Climate Coaches, staff determined that there are change...
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