Winnetka homeowners under 5,000 square feet now have a free way to find out exactly where their house is leaking energy and money.
The village announced Wednesday, July 29, that it is offering Healthy Home Reviews at no cost to eligible residents. The program is the first tangible action to come out of Winnetka's Climate Action Plan, which the Village Council unanimously adopted just eight days earlier, on Tuesday, July 21.
The Electric Home Company, the village's partner for the program, will conduct a complete infrared thermal scan of each participating home and review its electrical service, HVAC systems, hot water heating, and cooking and laundry appliances. Residents then receive a written report with specific recommendations to cut energy use and lower utility bills, along with guidance on qualified contractors and available financial incentives and rebates.
The only eligibility requirement listed by the village: the home must be under 5,000 square feet.
Why it matters
Residential buildings account for 55% of Winnetka's total greenhouse gas emissions, according to 2022 data the village presented when the plan was adopted. That makes homes the single largest source of emissions in the village, ahead of transportation at 23% and commercial buildings at 16%.
The Climate Action Plan commits Winnetka to a 40% reduction in community-wide emissions below 2022 levels by 2040, through 19 measures across buildings and energy, transportation, waste, and land and forestry. Village Sustainability Manager Elyse Steiner called the 40% target "a realistic, attainable and achievable, yet ambitious goal" at the July 21 council meeting, as The Record North Shore reported.
Trustee Scott Myers, who voted for the plan, urged the village to move faster at that same meeting. "I think we can be more aggressive here … I think that I look for [the EFSC] to push us, and I think us to push ourselves, to live up to the commitment that we made to the residents," he said.
The Healthy Home Review is the village's first answer to that push.
How to sign up
The village has posted sign-up information on its Residential Energy Audits page. No deadline or capacity limit has been announced. As we reported July 28, the village's Environmental, Forestry and Sustainability Commission will continue identifying and prioritizing additional initiatives from the plan for council approval, with a public dashboard on the village website to track progress.
