Environment committee to consider ordinance to include data centers in city building energy benchmarking program
The Chicago City Council's Committee on Environmental Protection and Energy will consider an ordinance to remove a current exemption for data centers. If approved, data centers would be included in the city's energy benchmarking program, requiring them to report on their energy usage.
The City Council Committee on Environmental Protection and Energy in Chicago is scheduled to meet on Tuesday to deliberate an ordinance impacting data centers. The proposed ordinance seeks to eliminate an existing exemption in city code that currently excludes data centers from Chicago's program for tracking and reporting on the energy consumption of large buildings. If the ordinance is approved, data centers within the city would be required to participate in this energy benchmarking program, aligning them with other major structures in the municipality. The committee meeting is set for 10 a.m. in the council chambers. This initiative is part of broader government efforts to monitor and potentially manage energy use across various sectors within the city.