@sandypsj Maybe 50% better relative to the mess during the last 10 years of construction! 🤥

@michael @jamesbondsv @Ember42 District heating, good. A distributed network of small nuclear reactors, probably a nonstarter.

@Ember42 @michael @jamesbondsv Next look at old residential buildings, like the 1890's three-flat I used to live in, where the forced-air furnace would run constantly on cold days and barely be able to keep the first floor at 68 F. What heat we weren't losing through the 120-year-old windows was going up to heat the floors above, or being lost through the uninsulated ducts that were running through the unheated basement.

@Ember42 @michael @jamesbondsv First, how many commercial, industrial, and public buildings in Chicagoland are still running on ancient boiler systems that are overheating unoccupied buildings during peak demand events? I'd bet that's eating up a large portion of capacity.

@Ember42 @michael @jamesbondsv There are so many moving parts, and I don't personally frame the challenge as designing for one particular energy source, but rather, "how can we dramatically reduce the energy usage of buildings?" How the energy gets to the user is important, too, but first work on the demand.

@Ember42 @michael @jamesbondsv Agree. Chicago needs to continue to take advantage of its robust gas infrastructure by encouraging or mandating higher efficiency boilers and furnaces, rather than switch old buildings to all-electric. And before anything else, huge incentives for new windows and better insulation for all the 100-year-old buildings. And ERVs/HRVs to ensure indoor air quality, once the air leaks are sealed.

@yfreemark So they are supposed to identify and remove barriers, but are prohibited from doing so?