Coles County accomplishes historic restoration of its Courthouse windows with an Energy Savings Performance Contract

The challenge:

The Coles County Courthouse, built in Charleston, Illinois in 1898, is recognized for its Romanesque-style architecture and historical significance in the region. The Courthouse has since served as the center of local government and the site of legal proceedings for Coles County. From 1966 to 1969, the County installed aluminum windows on the Courthouse’s first, second, and third floors. The attic-story windows, as well as the upper portions of the arched windows, were closed with plywood boards. These changes were among the only visible alterations made to the Courthouse’s exterior before its induction into the National Register of Historic Places in 1978. For several decades, Coles County explored ways to restore the Courthouse windows.

The solution:

Centrica Business Solutions was contracted to provide a turn-key solution and supported Coles County in securing board approval to use American Rescue Plan Act funds. With these funds, Centrica Business Solutions was able to provide a feasible procurement pathway through an Energy Savings Performance Contract (ESPC) to finally advance the window replacement project. Before the design could be finalized, our team worked with the Illinois State Historic Preservation Office and local advisory councils to obtain approval for the window materials and overall aesthetics. Each window was custom-made to replicate the original design from 1898. Centrica Business Solutions carefully installed over 380 windows while meeting budget goals and finished the project ahead of schedule. Our team worked diligently with the court administrator to minimize disruption to the building occupants and employees. 

The result:

The project resulted in the complete restoration of the Courthouse windows, including those closed with plywood boards for over 50 years. Through an ESPC with Centrica Business Solutions, Coles County has accomplished its long sought-after historic restoration of the Courthouse’s exterior. The project is guaranteed to generate $1,337 in energy savings for Coles County in the first year, escalating at 3% for the contract term, and will also save $116,000 in avoided repair and replacement costs.