Macomb, IL –Join local environmental advocates, Prairie Hills RC&D, and the nonprofit
consumer group Illinois PIRG for a tour of an electrified home on Saturday Feb 28 th from 1-3pm.
The Clean and Affordable Homes: The Barreto-Freymiller Tour will be held to show the
benefits of clean energy technologies such as solar panels, heat pumps and electric vehicles
and to provide information on how to get started.
“Thanks to new technologies, there’s never been a better time for people to use the air and
heat around them to electrify their homes,” said Grace Kurtz, campaign associate at Illinois
PIRG Education Fund. “Generous clean energy incentives are available to Illinoisans. We
hope that more homeowners will take advantage of them.”
The house belongs to Macomb residents Gary Freymiller and Ximena Barreto Gonzalez del
Riego. They began transitioning to a fully electric home in 2022, starting with an electric heat
pump water heater, followed by HVAC and solar panels. Gary has worked in the Clean Energy
industry for more than 15 years. His main motivation to make the switch was the environmental
impacts of gas heating but the financial benefits were an added bonus.
“I had been a ‘turn down the thermostat and put on another sweater’ guy for as long as I can
remember,” said Freymiller. “With solar panels and heat pumps, it's easy to live comfortably
and affordably. Electrification with solar on the roof was what I'd been looking for for a long
time.”
The Clean Energy Homes Tour series shows interested individuals what electrification really
looks like, how it will benefit them and how they can get started. Illinois PIRG Education Fund,

Environment Illinois Research and Education Center, and Illinois Green Alliance are holding
these events throughout Illinois to spread the word about the benefits of transitioning to clean
energy for homeowners and businesses.
“Illinois families and businesses are feeling the strain of rising energy bills and worsening air
quality,” said Ryan Wilmington of Illinois Green Alliance. “Fortunately, by embracing high
performance technologies and energy efficiency policies, there's a clear pathway forward to
address these challenges. When leaders and residents embrace clean buildings, communities
become healthier, more resilient, and more affordable.”
Register for this event now at https://forms.gle/RcfgDW2MxudH2DqZ9