Chicago Smart Grid Initiative Launched

CHICAGO, IL- The Building Owners and Managers Association of Chicago (BOMA/Chicago) and Georgia-based Automated Logic Corporation, a provider of energy efficiency, have signed an agreement to launch a pilot program which will help design and construct a “smart grid” in downtown Chicago.  

Beginning in March, up to 40 Chicago buildings will participate, and ALC will provide the property managers with granular, real-time data on energy usage, allowing each to tailor an energy efficiency strategy and reduce their energy bills.   

“The agreement BOMA/Chicago finalized with Automated Logic Corporation will advance this pilot program and give us the knowledge we need to open the concept to all of our building members in the future, so that all of our member buildings can access and control their own energy information,” said Michael Cornicelli, BOMA/Chicago executive vice president, in a prepared statement. “This is the first program of its kind anywhere. We will be learning and evaluating the program as more participating buildings come on line, and we have high hopes for its potential.”

ALC will install servers to feed usage data from advanced meters into a network data center that program participants can access through the Internet. Participants could then get compensation if they succeed in cutting energy use during peak usage times.

“The Smart Grid Initiative proposed by BOMA/Chicago is truly the first program of its kind in the nation,” said Paul Chismudy, general manager of the ALC Chicago office. “Automated Logic Corporation has the technology, resources and experience to make sure the Initiative is fully realized during this pilot phase – and is positioned to expand to an even larger group of properties in the future.”