On June 20, 2023, the Village Board of Oak Park, Illinois voted in favor of an all-electric new construction ordinance as part of their building code. This makes Oak Park the first municipality in Illinois - and the Midwest - to pass an electrification ordinance. Electrification was one of the steps identified as necessary to achieve community-wide net zero greenhouse gas emissions by 2050, as set forth by the Village in Climate Ready Oak Park. This follows the adoption of a benchmarking ordinance approved in February 2023.

Image source: Village of Oak Park. (2022). Existing Conditions & Vulnerability Assessment. 

According to the new electrification ordinance, the objective of this appendix is to reduce the production of greenhouse gases. As shown in Figure 1, the buildings sector comprised more than 70% of Oak Park’s greenhouse gas emissions in 2019. The language is located in Appendix P of Ordinance 23-47 for commercial buildings and Appendix X of Ordinance 23-53 for residential buildings. The ordinance only applies to new buildings and will go into effect January 1, 2024.

New commercial buildings shall be designed and constructed as follows:

1. The source of energy for the building shall be all electric and the source of energy shall not be fossil fuels. Energy from fossil fuels may be provided by generators for emergency backup power and for commercial kitchens.
2. All heating and air conditioning shall be provided by cold climate air source or ground source heat pumps.
3. A building shall contain an energy recovery ventilation system.
4. A report shall be provided to the building official that verifies all systems related to heating, ventilation and conditioning systems, lighting controls and service hot water systems comply with this code prior to final occupancy.
5. All refrigerators, dishwashers and clothes washers shall be Energy Star certified.
6. All cooktops shall be electric induction types.
7. All cooking ovens shall be electric types.
8. Energy for any clothes dryer shall be provided by an electric heat pump.
9. A minimum of one Level 2 electric vehicle charging station at each onsite parking area shall be installed for every 5 parking spaces. One charging station may serve an adjacent pair of spaces. Electrical vehicle charging stations in Group R-3 and R-4 occupancies are not required.
10. Directly piped exterior gas fire pits and gas cooking grills whose source of energy are fossil fuels are prohibited.

 

New residential buildings shall be designed and constructed as follows:

1. The source of energy for the building shall be all electric and the source of energy shall not be fossil fuels. Energy from fossil fuels may be provided by generators for emergency backup power.
2. All heating and air conditioning shall be provided by cold climate air source or ground source heat pumps.
3. A building shall contain an energy recovery ventilation system.
4. A building design shall include Manuals J and S calculations, or an equivalent design, by a licensed design professional.
5. All refrigerators, dishwashers and clothes washers shall be Energy Star certified.
6. Energy for any clothes dryer shall be provided by an electric heat pump.
7. A building shall contain at least one level 2 electric vehicle charging station at one parking location if a building contains a parking space/garage.
8. Directly piped exterior gas fire pits and gas cooking grills whose source of energy are fossil fuels are prohibited.

 

The Village Board also approved via ordinance the unamended 2021 International Energy Conservation Code (IECC) for residential and commercial buildings, to go into effect January 1, 2024. While most municipalities in Illinois must follow the statewide energy code at minimum (and maximum for low-rise residential buildings), Oak Park is one of the few allowed to adopt stronger energy codes than the state code. Illinois is currently operating on an amended 2018 IECC and is in the process of adopting the 2021 IECC. The Village has also expressed interest in adopting the Illinois Stretch Code once it is available.

MEEA and Slipstream have been providing technical assistance to the Village on behalf of ComEd. For additional information, please contact MEEA Buildings Director, Alison Lindburg.