Energy Efficiency Through Behavior Change Program

About the Program

Category: County Resiliency (Best in Category)

Year: 2020

Cook County formed the Energy Efficiency Through Behavior Change Program as a collaboration between the Department of Environment and Sustainability and the Bureau of Asset Management. The objective of this program was to engage employees in energy saving practices at work that could easily translate to their homes as well.It has been shown that 3-5% of electricity usage at work and at home can be saved through behavior change. Cook County decided to use a behavior change program as one strategy to achieve carbon neutrality for County facilities. This 2018 pilot program began with two County courthouses. The goal was to learn how employees use energy at work, change those behaviors to be more energy-conscious and ultimately reduce energy usage. Through a hands-on approach where employees were rewarded for turning off their monitors, the “Turn Off Your Monitor” campaign proved to be an effective tool to start simply and raise energy use awareness. The program has since expanded to other buildings following the success of the pilot.Through this program, 49% and 51% of the computer monitors, respectively, were turned off at the Domestic Violence Courthouse and the Maywood Courthouse—a significant improvement from 90% of monitors being left on before the campaign. The County Building also saw a successful outcome with 53% of monitors turned off.