QUIGLEY TOURS AFFORDABLE HOUSING BUILDING UPGRADED WITH ENERGY EFFICIENCY RENOVATIONS
CHICAGO – (RealEstateRama) — This week, U.S. Representative Mike Quigley (IL-05) toured an affordable housing building equipped with energy efficient technology and other measures designed to cut consumers’ energy bills and make the building more comfortable for tenants. He joined Elevate Energy, as well as the building property manager and contractors, to see the facility and discuss energy efficiency and affordability in Chicago.
“Touring this building—and seeing the renovations completed to make it more energy efficient—was an eye-opening look at the progress being made to improve our current infrastructure,” said Rep. Quigley. “The property manager and contractors, as well as the professionals at Elevate Energy, demonstrated that we can and should be outfitting our buildings with energy efficient measures, and that it can be done even in affordable housing. Increasing efficiency pays dividends for building owners and reduces the energy bills for the power users, something especially beneficial for low income Chicagoans.”
“Preserving affordable housing is crucial to the health of our neighborhoods, and energy efficiency is one way building owners can reduce costs and make their tenants more comfortable,” said Anne McKibbin, Elevate Energy Director of Policy. “Energy efficiency retrofits are also labor intensive and require a well-trained local workforce. We are so pleased that Congressman Quigley could visit with us today and see the progress we are making for himself.”
Rep. Quigley serves as the only Illinois member on the House Appropriations Committee, where he has used his position on the Transportation, Housing, and Urban Development Subcommittee to advocate for increased federal funding for housing in Illinois and the Chicagoland area. He also serves as Vice Chair of the Sustainable Energy & Environment Coalition, where he pushes for clean, renewable energy policy. Last month, Rep. Quigley offered an appropriations amendment to move $921 million from nuclear weapons to energy efficiency and renewable energy. During the appropriations process, Rep. Quigley also secured a victory for low-income seniors by passing an amendment to reclassify affordable housing units as Section 8, allowing for long-overdue maintenance, repair, and upgrades.
