Cook County: Skokie Courthouse

Background

The Skokie Courthouse is a three-floor masonry courthouse facility built in 1980. Skokie has 26 rooms and was originally designed as a shopping center with many windows, lofty open spaces, and all-electric power. The courthouse was selected for energy efficiency improvements due to its unique energy profile, need for upgraded equipment (much of the system was over 30 years old), and feasible opportunities for alternative power resources. As the second-largest county in the nation, Cook County recognized the importance of practicing sustainable energy planning to reduce its overall environmental footprint. To achieve this and meet the county’s 80 percent greenhouse gas emissions mandate by 2050, Cook County committed to implementing energy efficiency projects over the next 20 years.

Skokie Courthouse was one of the first facilities targeted for energy reduction; the property covers 345,783 square feet and a 483,451-square-foot parking garage. The building is used to meet the needs of District 2 for court proceedings and serves the northern suburbs of Cook County, including Deerfield, Des Plaines, Evanston, Glencoe, Glenview, Golf, Kenilworth, Lincolnwood, Morton Grove, Niles, Northbrook, Northfield, Park Ridge, Skokie, Wilmette, and Winnetka, as well as three townships. The Skokie project was included in an energy service contract with three other suburban County courthouses and five Department of Transportation and Highways buildings.

Solutions

Energy efficiency measures at Skokie Courthouse are expected to save the facility approximately 59 percent in utility costs. A geothermal heat pump system was specifically selected for Skokie Courthouse because of higher heating load requirements (from leaking windows and lack of perimeter heat), outdated controls, and location. The site provided the space and geological requirements to make geothermal a feasible solution at Skokie. Review Cook County’s Energy Conservation Measures (ECMs) Photobook for more visual details.

The following table outlines the list of ECMs underway:

Savings Measure	Cost	Savings Estimated (kBtu)	Notes
Central Plant Ground Source Heat Pump	$3,906,811	5,489,991	Install new heat pump systems, natural gas boilers, and high efficiency chillers. These will significantly reduce energy costs and GHG emissions and address critical infrastructure needs. Skokie’s new renewable energy geothermal heat pump system will provide most of the heating and cooling requirements year-round
New air handling unit fans and Variable Frequency Drives (VFDs)	$697,200	755,664	Replace failing supply and return fans
Control System Upgrades	$918,706	4,546,132	Upgrade existing air handling unit and central plant controls to state-of-the-art direct digital controls, with optimized energy efficient control strategies
LED Lighting Upgrades (Interior and Exterior)	$1,781,927	Interior: 2,874,593 Exterior: 1,169,606	Modernization of the lighting systems with the latest long-life LED technology, including occupancy controls in selected areas
Water Conservation	$223,427	19,000	Upgrade restroom fixtures to ultra-low-flow technology
Building Weatherization	$31,987	312,365	Weatherize building envelope at doors and windows
Window Replacement	$2,228,948	1,059,135	Replace deteriorated windows
Electric Vehicle (EV) Charging Stations	$32,006	N/A	Install new Level II EV charging stations at each courthouse for public/staff EV drivers with revenue opportunity
Demand Curtailment Services	N/A	177.701 kW Commitment value 2016-2017	Create revenue for the county by reducing demand on electrical grid

*Energy project costs: $9,597,585; Water project costs: $223,427
*Water calculations are estimates based on historical data averages

ANNUAL ENERGY USE

ANNUAL ENERGY COST

ANNUAL WATER USE

ANNUAL WATER COST

ANNUAL PLANT ELECTRICITY USE

ANNUAL PLANT ELECTRICITY COST

IN BUILDING ENERGY USE

IN BUILDING ENERGY COST

ACROSS NETWORK USE

ACROSS NETWORK COST

ANNUAL EMISSIONS

USE

COST

Geothermal Central Plant Ground Source Heat Pump System

LED Lighting Upgrades (Exterior)

Skokie Exterior and Windows

Cook County: Skokie Courthouse

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Geothermal Central Plant Ground Source Heat Pump System

LED Lighting Upgrades (Exterior)

Skokie Exterior and Windows