About the ERC

In September of 1973, one month before the Arab oil embargo, the University of Illinois Board of Trustees established the Energy Resources Center (ERC) at the University of Illinois at Chicago (UIC) "for the purpose of studying and offering advice on the overall energy problem in the State of Illinois."

To achieve this objective, the ERC has carried out a multifaceted research and public service program over the past three decades. The Center has worked on a broad spectrum of initiatives, ranging from industrial and commercial, to residential, economics, power generation, and energy procurement projects. Current projects include the Illinois Residential Energy Project, EnergyWise Homes of Illinois, the Chicagoland Arts & Sciences Consortium (CLASEC), the Chicago Industrial Energy Plan Project, the USDOE Industrial Assessment Center, and the CHP Midwest Application Center.

Over the nearly 30 years since its inception, the staff of the ERC has had the privilege of serving on numerous city, state, and regional advisory councils, panels, boards, and committees. Such public service activities represent one of the approaches taken by the Center to fulfill its mandate.