NIU Energy Partnership with Nicor Gas Yields $311K in Rebates and Incentives
By Lia Kizilbash Gillet

Representatives from NIU, Nicor Gas and Trane Technologies gather to celebrate $311,000 in energy rebates and incentives, recognizing NIU’s campus-wide sustainability efforts and ongoing partnership to drive efficiency, cost savings and emissions reduction. (Photo: NIU Foundation)

Northern Illinois University’s push toward a more sustainable future reached a visible milestone last month, when Nicor Gas presented a $311,000 rebate and incentives check to the university in recognition of measurable energy savings. 
 

The rebates and incentives, among nearly $10 million in energy incentives NIU has received this year from various utility programs, reflect expanding institutional collaboration and industry partnerships that support NIU’s long-term sustainability plan, led by Courtney Gallaher, Ph.D., director of campus sustainability.  
 

“President Freeman signed a university climate commitment a few years ago that committed NIU to reducing our carbon emissions to reach net zero by 2050, with significant reductions by 2030,” Gallaher said, noting that partnerships like Nicor Gas’ are critical to achieving those goals. 
 

Much of the savings behind the rebates and incentives stems from improvements to campus boiler systems — recommendations that emerged through the Nicor Gas Energy Efficiency Program. NIU also participated in the Nicor Gas Strategic Energy Management offering, which focuses on both operational and behavioral changes. Together, those efforts have saved over 300,000 therms annually and spurred additional facility assessments expected to yield further reductions and future rebates and incentives. 
 

Incentives like those from Nicor Gas play a key role in advancing NIU’s large-scale energy savings and decarbonization project with Trane Technologies. The initiative is financed through a mix of guaranteed future energy savings, tax incentives and utility rebates, enabling the university to modernize infrastructure while accelerating emissions reductions.
 

“We can’t do this work to its fullest potential without them, so we are very grateful that they exist,” said John Dunlap, Trane Technologies area director for comprehensive energy solutions.  
 

The work also aligns with the sustainability commitment of Forward: The Campaign for NIU, which aims to create a greener campus by using it as a testbed for innovation and research — reducing emissions while preparing students to tackle pressing environmental challenges.  
 

Meena Beyers, vice president of business and community development at Nicor Gas, described the NIU/Nicor Gas collaboration as part of a broader shift she called an “energy renaissance,” with NIU helping to lead the way. 
 

 “We’re really excited about our longstanding and growing partnership and how it can serve as a force multiplier for economic impact in the region and beyond,” she said. 
 

For NIU, lower energy costs free up resources that can be reinvested in the campus community — supporting students while advancing broader sustainability efforts.  
 

“It’s wonderful to have partners like Nicor Gas supporting energy sustainability at NIU,” said NIU Foundation Executive Director of Strategic Development Luke Sebby. “NIU has a bold vision for the future of sustainability, and partnerships like this help us make it happen." 

 

Learn more about NIU's path to a sustainable future and how FORWARD: The Campaign for NIU is supporting innovation, research and campus-wide impact at NIUForward.com.