By Mother Nature Network's Laura Moss:

Harmony House for Cats’ new shelter isn’t just doing something good for Chicago’s felines — it’s also doing something good for the planet.

The no-kill animal shelter is slated to be the first Net-Zero Energy commercial building in the city, meaning the amount of energy created by on-site renewable energy sources annually is greater than amount of energy the building uses. In addition to its Net-Zero Energy status, the shelter is also pursuing LEED Platinum certification.

The 7,085-square-foot shelter is powered by 14 geothermal wells, 20 solar thermal panels and 96 solar photovoltaic panels, and it features three adoption playrooms, three admission rooms, four special-needs suites and a medical ward. Designed around a landscaped courtyard, the building also provides virtually every room with natural light and outdoor view that both the cats and the volunteers can enjoy.

“The spacious rooms give the cats more room to play and lots of sunlight, and they adore looking outside at people and dogs passing by. Cats in every room of the shelter will be able to nap in the sunshine, and look out at the trees and plants,” said Harmony House Board President Ann Dieter.

The new shelter, which was funded by an anonymous donor who wants to inspire others to incorporate green technology into buildings, also has other energy-saving features, including sensors that turn off lights when a room is unoccupied.

“The building provides a sustainable operational future for Harmony House through the construction of a high-performance building that provides a replicable model to other nonprofit organizations,” said Dieter.

“It’s like a dream come true for the cats and the staff and volunteers that raise funds and care for our cats.”

Harmony House for Cats is a cageless, no-kill shelter that rescues and places about 100 injured or abandoned cats annually. For more information about the organization, visit hhforcats.org.

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  • Two stray kittens pose for a photograph at Battersea Dogs and Cats Home on August 18, 2009 in London, England. Battersea Dogs and Cats Home is seeing a sharp rise in the number of cats requiring a home with 143 of the 145 shelter's pens full. (Photo by Dan Kitwood/Getty Images)

  • Milly, a 13-week-old kitten waits with her brother Charlie (L) to be re-homed at The Society for Abandoned Animals Sanctuary in Sale, Manchester which is facing an urgent cash crisis and possible closure on July 27, 2010 in Manchester, England. (Photo by Christopher Furlong/Getty Images)

  • A kitten plays with a squirrel, which was rescued off the streets in Envigado, Antioquia Department, Colombia, on February 16, 2010. (RAUL ARBOLEDA/AFP/Getty Images)

  • Blondie, a bichon dog, looks at her adopted ten day old kitten, Yako, which was found in a rubbish bin, in Rabat 24 April 2001. Although the dog has had no pups of her own, she has no trouble feeding the kitten. (A DA/AFP/Getty Images)

  • A kitten is pictured on December 5, 2009 during a cat exibition in Moscow. (NATALIA KOLESNIKOVA/AFP/Getty Images)

  • A stray kitten is posed for a photograph at Battersea Dogs and Cats Home on August 18, 2009 in London, England. Battersea Dogs and Cats Home is seeing a sharp rise in the number of cats requiring a home with 143 of the 145 shelter's pens full. (Photo by Dan Kitwood/Getty Images)

  • A cat and her kitten play with a squirrel, which was rescued off the streets, in Envigado, Antioquia Department, Colombia, on February 16, 2010. (RAUL ARBOLEDA/AFP/Getty Images)

  • Kittens are pictured in a bucket, before the arrival of Britain's Camilla, the Duchess of Cornwall, at Battersea Dogs and Cats Home, in London on October 27, 2010. The Duchess opened the new cattery during her visit to the animal refuge, which is celebrating it's 150th anniversary this year. (Chris Jackson/AFP/Getty Images)

  • A volunteer displays a newly-born cat delivered by a rescued stray cat at the home of cat lover Duo Zirong on July 10, 2007 in Shanghai, China. (Photo by China Photos/Getty Images)

  • Two less than a week old kittens of a jungle cat (lebis Chaus) lie inside the forest department office in Mumbai, 11 June 2007. Three abondoned kittens, found in the jungles of Aarey milk colony, on the outskirts of the city, were later handed over to the forest authorities, likely to be released in the Borivali national park in Mumbai. (PAL PILLAI/AFP/Getty Images)

  • Boggles, a stray kitten, one of the lucky animals at the Barnes Hill RSPCA Animal Rescue Centre, has found a caring home on 4 April 2007, Birmingham, England. (Photo by Christopher Furlong/Getty Images)

  • Milly, a 13-week-old kitten looks through the glass of her pen as she waits to be re-homed at The Society for Abandoned Animals Sanctuary in Sale, Manchester, which is facing an urgent cash crisis and possible closure on July 27, 2010 in Manchester, England. (Photo by Christopher Furlong/Getty Images)