Energy Assessment Program

The Illinois EPA Office of Energy has teamed up with SEDAC and the Illinois Sustainable Technology Center (ISTC) to help local municipalities reduce the cost of treating water and wastewater.

SEDAC and ISTC provide no-cost energy usage assessments to publicly-owned water and wastewater treatment systems across Illinois. Assessment reports break down recommendations for energy efficiency improvements at each facility, including information such as estimated project costs, simply payback periods, funding opportunities, and the resulting energy and monetary savings.

Wastewater treatment plant

Eligibility

To qualify for an assessment, a public water or wastewater system must:

  1. Be located in Illinois and owned by the State of Illinois or an Illinois unit of local government
  2. Allow SEDAC and/or ISTC access to the treatment facility
  3. Be willing to share facility information with SEDAC and Illinois EPA
  4. Share the final assessment report with the Illinois EPA

Get Started

Fill out an application to get an energy assessment started. We'll follow up within two business days.

Call for Educational Webinar Speakers

We are seeking plant operators, municipal engineers, consultants, and other water and wastewater professionals to speak on our upcoming webinar sessions. If you are interested in sharing your expertise with Illinois wastewater and water treatment professionals, please click the link below and complete the speaker interest form.

All upcoming webinars and their session descriptions can be found by clicking the “Workshops & Events” button above.

Assessed Facilities Map

Kincaid Wastewater Treatment Plant

Collinsville Wastewater Treatment Plant

Resources

Kishwaukee Water Reclamation District WWTP Case Study

The Kishwaukee Water Reclamation District (KWRD) has been pursuing energy efficiency and energy recovery opportunities for many years. In October […]

Village of Heyworth WWTP Case Study

In 2022, the Village of Heyworth wastewater treatment plant, a 1.0 MGD lagoon system, faced an electric supply hike of […]

Herrin WWTP Case Study

In 2018, SEDAC performed an energy assessment for the Herrin IL Wastewater Treatment Plant (WWTP). The assessment identified several energy […]

Algal Treatment for Wastewater Treatment Plants

A new process to enhance water treatment and minimize energy consumption is gaining traction in Water Resource Recovery. The concept […]

Illinois EPA Public Water Infrastructure Energy Efficiency Program Flyer

Take a look at our program flyer for information on no-cost energy assessments, top energy savings opportunities, and realized savings […]

Lift Station Optimization in Wastewater Treatment Plants

Lift stations move wastewater from lower to higher elevation, particularly where the elevation of wastewater sources is not sufficient for […]

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Benchmarking for Water and Wastewater Treatment Plants

Energy benchmarking is an effective and convenient approach to tracking and analyzing energy use of a water treatment plant (WTP) […]

Using SCADA to Improve and Assess Operations

A Supervisory Control & Data Acquisition (SCADA) system is an assemblage of computer and communications equipment that gathers, monitors, and […]

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Efficient Nitrogen and Phosphorous Removal

Wastewater treatment facilities are commonly required to implement treatment processes that reduce effluent nutrient concentrations to levels that regulators deem […]

Scoreboard showing plant's education production and use.

Downers Grove Net Zero Wastewater Treatment with Bio-gas

Innovative leadership and collaboration with the Illinois Clean Energy Community Foundation has allowed the Downers Grove Sanitary District WWTP to become a net-zero energy plant. Read how the district has reduced costs and increased resiliency by running their plant with bio-gas produced on site.

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Caseyville Wastewater Treatment Plant Case Study

Recently, the Caseyville Township Water Reclamation Facility received a free facility assessment from Illinois EPA's Wastewater Treatment Plant Energy Assessment […]

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Village of Annawan Wastewater Treatment Plant

Most energy assessments identify energy efficiency measures to save facilities between 10% and 30% on annual energy costs. Sometimes the […]

Barley straw

Natural algae control for lagoon wastewater treatment plants

As spring approaches, many lagoon wastewater treatment facility operators are considering strategies for summer algae control. In one recent site […]

Wastewater treatment plant

WWTP Case Study

Read this case study from a Wastewater Treatment Plant in Carthage, TN that implemented energy efficiency measures to save energy […]

Wastewater treatment plant

Energy Smart Tips for Wastewater Treatment Plants

Wastewater treatment plants can benefit from many of the same strategies that make other buildings more efficient, but this smart […]