To collect hyperlocal granular air quality readings in select Equity Investment Eligible Community (EIEC) neighborhoods across the city of Chicago. Target locations for this pilot include Pilsen, Little Village, and the Southeast side of Chicago. Monitoring will run throughout 2025 with data being accessible on a monthly basis. The goal is to identify where the need for electrification is greatest and where to prioritize investments to improve public health and quality of life.
HP Risk Management Inc. (RHP) air quality management pilot program operator, is in collaboration with a team including sensor vendors Aclima, PurpleAir, and Clarity Movement (“Clarity”), environmental consultant Mostardi Platt, researchers at University of Illinois at Chicago (UIC), University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign (UIUC) and from the University of Memphis, and community and environmental organizations from the pilot area, to support selection of monitoring locations for a total of 60 sensors and who will also lead the recruitment, selection and training of indoor monitoring participants. These include Little Village Environmental Justice Organization, Neighbors for Environmental Justice, and Pilsen Environmental Rights and Reform Organization serving residents in the west side of Chicago, and Alliance of the Southeast, Southeast Environmental Taskforce, and People for Community Recovery serving residents in the south/southeast side of Chicago.
ComEd formed partnerships with six community-based organizations. These partnerships continue to help support outreach and recruitment for indoor monitoring, which allows the pilot to create a sensor placement grid that incorporates Aclima data and community input. All 69 Clarity sensors were deployed on Chicago Department of Transportation poles, with Standardized Operating Procedures finalized for mounting and decommissioning. Aclima’s mobile monitoring concluded with a final report delivered August 28. UIC and partners are analyzing this data to target high-concentration areas as PurpleAir recruitment and monitoring expand. Quality Assurance and Quality Control processes are advancing toward a unified system with integrated analytics and visualization capabilities. Content for public outreach has been developed, with press and community events planned for late 2025. Risks tied to sensor placement and low recruitment rates are being mitigated through partner engagement. Upcoming priorities include completing recruitment and baseline data collection, securing Institutional Review Board (IRB) approval, and hosting events to share results.
The provision of granular, localized air quality data in EIECs will inform ComEd’s BE strategies, align with environmental justice goals, and validate the anticipated air quality benefits of electrification. Additionally, this pilot will offer:
| BE Pilot | Lead Vendor | Partners | Award Date | Pilot In-Field Start Date | Pilot In-Field End Date |
| Air Quality Monitoring | RHP Risk | Aclima, Clarity, Purple Air, UIC, UIUC, Little Village Environmental Justice Organization, Southeast Environmental Taskforce, Pilsen Environmental Rights and Reform Organization, Alliance of the Southeast | November 2024 | February 2025 | December 2025 |
