Marinette, Wis. – The City of Marinette saw some return on its investment in energy efficiency Tuesday night when it received a $94,998.44 check from FOCUS ON ENERGY®, Wisconsin’s statewide energy efficiency program.
The money is a financial incentive for the City’s decision to have several energy-efficient measures built into its new Community REC Center, which opened earlier this year. The check was presented to Mayor Steve Genisot, city employees and Marinette Alders at Tuesday night’s Common Council meeting.
The City worked with Focus on Energy’s Design Assistance team to implement practices and install equipment that will reduce energy waste and save the City of Marinette and taxpayers money for years to come.
“The Focus on Energy team worked hand-in-hand with our architect, Somerville, to design a building that is energy efficient and incorporates some of the newest technologies to save energy costs,” said Mayor Steve Genisot.
The new Community REC Center was built with energy-efficient walls, roof and windows, and it also includes LED bulbs and fixtures, occupancy sensors and energy-efficient heating and cooling equipment.
The financial incentive from Focus on Energy helps offset the initial cost of choosing more efficient, more expensive equipment. In addition, the City’s energy conservation choices will result in annual energy cost savings of $118,835 over baseline equipment, meaning the investment the City made in energy efficiency will pay for itself in just over five years.
“It’s been great. We’ve been living in it for 3-4 months. Nothing but great feedback from the community,” said Gavin Scray, Executive Director of Recreation and Events for the City of Marinette. “To not only build a building such as this, but be forward-thinking and be energy efficient, obviously it benefits everybody.”
The estimated annual energy savings for this project are 835,416 kWh of electricity and 35,591 therms of natural gas. Combined, that is enough to meet the annual energy needs of 93 average homes.
The City of Marinette is a customer of WPS, one of the 107 Wisconsin utilities that fund and participate in the Focus on Energy program. Residential, business and municipal customers of those utilities are eligible for the energy expertise and financial incentives provided by Focus on Energy. The most recent independent evaluation found every $1 invested in Focus on Energy programs creates $5.93 in benefits for Wisconsin, including economic benefits, reduced energy costs, and reduced pollution.
About Focus on Energy
Focus on Energy is Wisconsin utilities' statewide energy efficiency and renewable resource program funded by the state's investor-owned energy utilities and participating municipal and electric cooperative utilities. Focus on Energy works with eligible Wisconsin residents and businesses to install cost-effective energy efficiency and renewable energy projects. Focus on Energy information, resources and financial incentives help to implement projects that otherwise would not be completed. Its efforts help Wisconsin residents and businesses manage rising energy costs, promote in-state economic development, protect our environment and control Wisconsin's growing demand for electricity and natural gas. For more information call 800.762.7077 or visit focusonenergy.com.
