Trempealeau Municipal Electric Department partners with Focus on Energy

Focus on Energy announced that customers of Trempealeau Municipal Electric Department will become eligible for programs and services from Focus on Energy:

Customers will be able to participate in the Business, Residential and Renewable Energy offerings under the Focus on Energy umbrella:

· Business Programs that help manufacturers, commercial businesses, farmers, schools and local governments reduce operating costs, increase their bottom line and improve productivity and employee and customer comfort. The programs offer technical expertise, training and financial incentives to help implement innovative energy management projects.

· Wisconsin ENERGY STAR Homes, Home Performance with ENERGY STAR and Apartment & Condo Efficiency Services Programs that encompass new and existing homes, multi-family construction and remodeling projects for all types of residential dwellings. These programs help homeowners and landlords integrate energy improvements into their remodeling projects, as well as deliver newly-built homes, apartments and condominiums that are comfortable, safe, durable and energy efficient.

· Lighting and appliance programs that increase the availability of ENERGY STAR qualified products ranging from compact fluorescent light bulbs to heating and cooling equipment. These efforts deliver lower energy bills for residents and businesses and increased sales for retailers and contractors.

· Renewable Energy Programs that help residents and businesses harness energy from sunlight, wind and organic materials.

· Targeted Home Performance that reduces energy bills while increasing comfort and safety for income-qualified participants.

Phillips Plastics Corporation® Saves $750,000 through Energy Efficiency Efforts

From a news release issued by Focus on Energy:

Focus on Energy provides $400,000 to boost energy saving efforts

(September 15, 2009)—A company-wide commitment to environmental stewardship from the shop floor to top management has led Phillips Plastics Corporation®, with facilities in Phillips, Eau Claire, Hudson, New Richmond, Medford, Menomonie and Prescott, Wis., to save more than $750,000 on its energy bills each year. This will not only help the manufacturer save money, but protect the environment and keep jobs in Wisconsin.

Phillips Plastic Corporation received $400,000 in financial incentives from Focus on Energy, Wisconsin’s statewide resource for energy efficiency and renewable energy, to complete energy saving projects that will save more than 8.5 million kilowatt-hours of electricity and 78,000 therms of natural gas annually—enough energy to power 940 Wisconsin homes for a year.

Since 2002, Phillips Plastics has completed energy assessments at all 15 of its buildings to find cost-effective ways to save energy including traditional applications, innovative technologies, energy management plans and high-performance equipment upgrades. Major projects include:

· Numerous plant-wide lighting upgrades, including advanced controls where appropriate
· Adding variable speed drives on heating, cooling and ventilation equipment at multiple sites
· Installing energy efficient compressed air equipment
· Upgrading ventilation equipment in multiple sites
· Installing cutting edge chilled water technology at two sites
· Completing numerous feasibility studies to determine which projects to pursue

Westby lighting project gets thumbs up

From an article by Dorothy Jasperson in the Westby Times:

The Westby Area School Board of Education unanimously approved $34,820 to implement a replacement lighting project in areas of the high school and gymnasium.

The projected costs of the lighting projects are $54,820. Those costs will be offset by incentive programs offered through Wisconsin Focus on Energy and WPPI, the city of Westby power supplier.

Wisconsin Focus on Energy will pay a specific dollar amount for replacement of outdated electrical units, while WPPI will contribute up to 60 percent of the cost of the entire project. The school district will be required to make an investment to keep costs down and a 5.9 year payback for the lighting installation investment is projected at today’s cost of electricity.

Kohl's again named EPA Green Power Partner of the Year

From a news release posted on Yahoo!Finance:

MENOMONEE FALLS, Wis.–(BUSINESS WIRE)–Kohl’s Department Stores (NYSE: KSS – News) will be named Green Power Partner of the Year during the annual Green Power Leadership Awards held Monday, Sept. 14 in Atlanta, Ga. Co-sponsored by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) and Center for Resource Solutions (CRS), the Green Power Leadership Awards recognize the actions of organizations, programs and individuals that significantly advance the development of green power resources in three categories: on-site generation, green power purchase and Partner of the Year.

“To receive the Green Power Partner of the Year Award is a tremendous honor,” said Ken Bonning, Kohl’s executive vice president of store planning and logistics. “Since joining the Green Power Partnership in 2006, Kohl’s has continually demonstrated our support of green power through increasing our purchase of renewable energy credits, expanding our solar initiative and implementing strategies to manage our energy usage in an environmentally responsible way. We strive to set an example of how a business can consistently implement and explore sustainable solutions that make sense for the bottom line, the environment and the communities we serve.”

This is the third consecutive year Kohl’s will receive a Green Power Leadership Award, earning recognition for green power purchase in 2007 and on-site generation in 2008. This is Kohl’s first time receiving the Green Power Partner of the Year Award, which recognizes four EPA Green Power Partners annually who distinguish themselves through their green power purchases, leadership, overall strategy and impact on the green power market. . . .

Kohl’s currently ranks second in retail, fourth overall and fourth among Fortune 500 companies on EPA’s list of top Green Power Purchasers with a 2009 green power purchase of 600,990,000 kWh – more than double Kohl’s previous green power commitment and enough to meet 50 percent of the company’s purchased electricity use. According to U.S. EPA, Kohl’s green power purchase of 601 million kWh is equivalent to avoiding carbon dioxide emissions of more than 79,000 passenger vehicles per year, or is the equivalent amount of electricity needed to power nearly 60,000 average American homes annually.

Presentations set for Energy Efficiency in Manufacturing, Oct. 6-8

The energy track presentations have been release for the Energy Efficiency in Manufacturing Pavilion at the Wisconisn Machine Tool Show, October 6-8, at State Fair Park:

TUESDAY, OCTOBER 6, 2009
9:00am Green and Lean
Presented by Dr. Joe Jacobsen of MATC

11:00am Controlling Your Energy Costs – An Overview Of Focus On Energy
Presented by Nate Altfeather of Focus on Energy

1:00pm Opportunities To Supply The US Wind Industry
Presented by Jeffrey Anthony of American Wind Energy Association

3:00pm Energy Efficiency In Manufacturing Facilities
Presented by Orion Energy Systems

WEDNESDAY, OCTOBER 7, 2009
10:00am A Case Study On Energy Efficiency
Presented by Nate Altfeather of Focus On Energy

11:30am Starve The Beast! Revolutionary Ideas On How To Save Money Operating Your Ventilation Systems
Presented by DuWayne Bohrer of iVEC™ Systems and Kevin Rohde of Hastings Air Energy Control Inc

1:00pm New Manufacturing Opportunities In Stimulus Funding
Presented by Maria Redmond of Wisconsin Office of Energy Independence

3:00pm Opportunities For Cooperation In The Renewable Supply Chain
Presented by Mark Tomkins of GermanAmerican Chamber of Commerce of the Midwest

THURSDAY, OCTOBER 8, 2009
10:00am Sociable Responsibility In Industry
Presented by American Society for Quality

12:00pm Save Energy, Save Money
Presented by Alex Dodd of Focus on Energy

Energy track seminars sponsored by Focus on Energy.