Oconomowoc utility and others making renewable energy easy to use

by | Oct 9, 2008 | Uncategorized

From a story by Matthew Inda in Living Lake Country:

City of Oconomowoc – One thing that makes Oconomowoc unique is its publicly owned utility company, which strives for environmental efficiency and cheaper prices.

From 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Monday, Oct. 13, adults and children have an opportunity to visit the Oconomowoc Utilities office, 808 S. Worthington St., for an open house that will educate everyone about the local power plant, as well as give customers a chance to purchase blocks of renewable energy.

“You get to learn about all the different things the utility does, and specifically green power,” said Lisa Geason-Bauer, owner and marketing director of Evolution Marketing, and consultant of the Oconomowoc Utilities open house.

Open house visitors can learn about the utility that they, as customers, partially own, and can help the utility become more efficient.

One of the first steps in doing so is for customers to sign up to purchase blocks of renewable energy, varied amounts of kilowatts per hour, by which customers can essentially increase the amount of green energy used in their home.

For example, if someone purchases one block of energy for the $3 price tag, they will receive and be charged for 300 kilowatts per hour of renewable energy that is likely coming from wind power, according to Greg Hoffmann, energy service representative for Wisconsin Pubic Power Inc., the regional public power company to which Oconomowoc Utilities belongs.

Two blocks of energy, or 600 kilowatts per hour, would be $6, three blocks (900 kilowatts) would be $9, and so on.

So if a household used 900 kilowatts per hour of electricity in one month, but bought three blocks of renewable energy, then their household would be using 100-percent renewable energy. Hoffmann said the price of the renewable energy, whether $3, $6 or incrementally greater, is tacked on to whatever that home’s monthly bill is.

Hoffmann said the concept is one that many public and private power companies are using, whether it is wind-, solar- or hydro-based.

Homes & businesses open for solar tours, October 3-4

by | Oct 3, 2008 | Uncategorized

Dozens of Milwaukee area and southeastern Wisconsin homes and businesses will be open for public tours during the state-side solar tour, October 3-4:

Dusty Acres, Adell, Sat
Dunham Farm, Burlington, Sat
Camp Dewan, Burlington, Fri
Sebern Home, Cedarburg, Sat
O’Leary Plumbing & Heating, East Troy, Fri
Arley Uhrig Home, East Troy, Sat
Fields Neighborhood, East Troy, Sat
Kochis Residence, Franklin, Sat
TDL Electronics, Franksville, Fri + Sat
Bantz/Gurzynski Residence, Hartford, Sat
Selestow Dome Home, Menomonee Falls, Sat
Krepel Residence, Milwaukee, Sat
Liberty Tax, Milwaukee, Fri
Amaranth Bakery & Cafe, Milwaukee, Fri
Coles Home, Milwaukee, Sat
Urban Ecology Center, Milwaukee, Fri + Sat
Hot Water Products, Milwaukee, Fri
Sherman Perk, Milwaukee, Fri
Future Green, Milwaukee, Fri
Schlitz Audubon Nature Center, Milwaukee, Fri
Art of Dentistry Ltd, Milwaukee, Fri
AUR Solar, Milwaukee, Fri
Dominiak Home, Milwaukee, Sat
Hunter Home, Milwaukee, Sat
Hess Home, New Berlin, Sat
Power Control, New Berlin, Sat
Pinehold Gardens, Oak Creek, Fri
Pauc Home, Oak Creek, Sat
Delafield Solar Home, Pewaukee, Sat
Lagerman-Mann Residence, Plymouth, Sat
Eco-Justice Center, Racine, Fri + Sat
The Johnson Foundation, Racine, Fri
Mueller Home, Shorewood, Sat
Anderson Home, Slinger, Sat
Krall Home, Slinger, Sat
Rudolf Home, South Milwaukee, Sat
Teko Mechanical Inc., Waukesha, Fri
Toman Home, Waukesha, Sat
GE Healthcare, Waukesha, Fri
Johnson Home, Wauwatosa, Sat
Richter & Carsner Home, West Bend, Sat
Bruggink Residence, West Bend, Sat
Beine residence, West Bend, Sat

The tour demonstrates that renewable energy is practical, reliable and a realistic choice for home and business owners. Tour sites are owned, lived in, and worked in by ordinary people. They are helping others open the door to renewable energy.

Although it is officially called the Wisconsin Solar Tour, sites include all sorts of renewable energy technologies and other innovative features. On the Wisconsin Solar Tour you can see:

Wind and solar (PV) electric systems
Solar thermal and solar water heating systems
Green building construction and passive solar design
Energy efficient heating technologies
Energy efficient appliances
Environmentally friendly landscaping
And more!

Few institutions are buying green energy

by | Sep 23, 2008 | Uncategorized

From an article in The Country Today:

RIVER FALLS – High prices, uncertainty over future supplies and concerns about global warming have brought energy issues to the forefront of policy debates in Washington and communities across the country.

These same factors are at play in western Wisconsin, where “green” economic development opportunities and the desire to sustain rural working lands are fueling a growing interest in renewable energy such as wind, solar, hydroelectric and biomass, say organizers of a recent survey conducted by the UW-River Falls Survey Research Center.

But data the center has collected show that, while there is a lot of interest and support for green energy, there is not a great deal of actual use at this point.

The survey finds that electricity from renewable sources makes up slightly more than 7 percent, on average, of total energy use in public institutions in western Wisconsin.

The proportion of total electricity used by those organizations that comes from “green” sources is variable, ranging from 25 percent to 2.5 percent.

“There is a huge groundswell of support for renewable energy in St. Croix County,” said Pete Kling, UW-Extension agent for St. Croix County, which funded the survey. “In the past year, more than 500 people have attended renewable-energy forums, round-tables and field tours in western Wisconsin to learn more about opportunities in our own backyards.”

Non-Profits Renewable Energy Grants Workshop, Sept. 23

by | Sep 15, 2008 | Uncategorized

From the Web site of We Energies:

If you are interested in our renewable energy grants but not sure how to get start, attend our free Renewable Energy Grant Workshop on Sept. 23, 2008, at the Milwaukee Marriott West from 8 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. Pre-registration required.

According to the Web site, We Energies offers “Prescriptive and Custom Incentives to non-profit, charitable organizations that implement electric or natural gas-saving measures at their facilities. This guide, along with a conversation with a program representative, can assist you in determining your eligibility.”