Find the equipment that is running wrong.
We look for equipment running at the wrong time, fighting itself, or carrying load in ways the building no longer needs.
Chicago Energy Benchmarking | HVAC Performance | CEBO Support
The energy bill tells you something changed. Your HVAC system tells you why.
For building teams that need lower waste, better runtime visibility, and a practical bridge between HVAC service, controls behavior, and energy reporting.
Written deliverableA practical findings summary for ownership and facility teams.
CEBO-awareDeadline, penalty, rating, and disclosure context included.
ComEd RCx pathWe help determine whether a deeper program review may fit.
Fix-readyMechanical and controls findings can move into approved service work.
Energy waste usually has a mechanical story behind it.
Poor schedules, failed economizers, simultaneous heating and cooling, dirty coils, disabled resets, and ignored alarms can all hide inside a monthly bill.
Review the mechanical and control sides together.
Mechanical findings and controls observations are reviewed together so recommendations are practical.
Turn technical issues into owner-ready language.
Runtime, comfort patterns, and energy-related findings can help teams explain what changed and where to focus next.
Performance Review
Useful before audits, budget reviews, and reporting deadlines.
- Schedule, setpoint, economizer, ventilation, reset, and staging checks.
- Mechanical conditions that create energy waste, including dirty coils, airflow issues, and failing components.
- Recommendations that separate quick operating fixes from larger capital opportunities.
- Chicago CEBO support for teams preparing for the June 1 annual benchmarking deadline.
Three pressure points are converging on Chicago building owners.
The strongest energy conversation is not generic efficiency. It is compliance, utility-funded investigation, and the cost of keeping older equipment limping along.
Benchmarking is a transaction issue, not just a filing task.
Chicago assigns Energy Rating stars from building performance data. The code requires visible posting and disclosure in lease or sale situations for covered buildings.
A deeper study may be fully funded for qualifying buildings.
ComEd's RCx Flex manual describes a fully funded retro-commissioning study for eligible facilities, with incentives that may help offset implementation costs.
R-410A service is now a planning conversation.
EPA's HFC rules changed the new-equipment landscape, and leak repair requirements now reach many refrigerant-containing appliances with 15 pounds or more of charge.
We connect the compliance report to the mechanical work.
Compliance consultants can file. HVAC contractors can fix. The high-value middle is understanding which HVAC and controls conditions are dragging the building score, then giving ownership a practical next step.
Benchmarking-only vendor
Can help submit data, but usually cannot repair the economizer, reset the schedule, or correct the airflow issue.
Generic HVAC service
Can repair equipment, but may not frame findings around CEBO, public ratings, owner reporting, or ComEd RCx eligibility.
NW written energy review
HVAC and controls review, CEBO-aware reporting context, prioritized fixes, and a path to approved service work.
Good fit when the question is bigger than a service call.
Use the review when ownership needs a written explanation, the building engineer needs a sharper priority list, or a deadline is forcing the energy conversation.
CEBO compliance preparation
Controls schedule review
Owner reporting prep
ComEd or gas rebate pathfinding
Comfort plus energy issues
R-410A service planning
Public programs make the first step easier to justify.
These are public-source facts that can help a facility manager frame the conversation with ownership.
June 1Chicago's annual benchmarking deadline for covered buildings.
$25/dayMaximum ongoing fine after the initial violation, under Chicago code.
$0.04/kWhComEd RCx Flex performance incentive that may be available for implemented electric savings.
$500Nicor's 2026 cap for qualifying commercial space-heating boiler tune-ups.
Public sources checked: Chicago benchmarking deadline, Chicago penalty language, Chicago Energy Rating disclosure, ComEd RCx Flex manual, Nicor 2026 rebate materials, and EPA HFC Technology Transitions. Eligibility, incentives, and compliance obligations can change and should be confirmed for each building.
Energy and CEBO questions facility teams ask first.
Short answers for the owner, property manager, or building engineer trying to decide what to do next.
Does my Chicago building have to comply with CEBO?
Chicago's ordinance covers buildings at 50,000 gross square feet and above, with separate Group 1 and Group 2 definitions in the code. Exemptions may apply, so building-specific status should be confirmed before filing.
What happens if I miss the June 1 deadline?
Chicago code says violations may carry a fine of up to $100 for the first violation, plus up to $25 for each day the violation continues. The small daily number adds up quickly if no one owns the workflow.
What does the written NW energy review include?
We review HVAC and controls conditions that commonly drive energy waste: schedules, economizers, resets, staging, ventilation, dirty coils, airflow issues, ignored alarms, and service conditions that deserve priority.
How is this different from a formal energy audit?
A formal energy audit can be a larger engineering project. This review is the practical first step: an HVAC and controls walk-through that helps decide what should be corrected, escalated, or studied further.
Can ComEd really fund a retro-commissioning study?
ComEd's RCx Flex materials describe a fully funded study for eligible facilities. Eligibility includes requirements such as peak demand and annual energy use, and participating buildings must meet program conditions.
What if my concern is old R-410A equipment?
You do not need to replace a functioning system just because it uses R-410A. The point is to plan: leaks, refrigerant charge size, repair history, and replacement timing now matter more in capital conversations.