Sister Bay, Wis. – People that know of FOCUS ON ENERGY® are often familiar with the financial incentives the program offers to home and business owners for investing in energy-efficient equipment and projects. But managers at a Door County condo complex recently learned Focus on Energy is more than a rebate check.
The Yacht Club at Sister Bay upgraded to LED lights in its 85 condos earlier this year, replacing more than 2,500 lamps. Maintenance Supervisor Dustin Reinart explained why it was such a major undertaking.
“I was the one doing the application, ordering the bulbs and installing them,” he said.
Thankfully, Dustin had a great resource in Tom Younger, an Energy Advisor with Focus on Energy who works with multifamily housing facilities. He helped Dustin select lights that qualified for Focus on Energy financial incentives and assisted with the application process.
“He was a huge help to me in switching the condo campus over to LEDs. I had many questions along the way. Tom was there to answer them all and was very easy to get a hold of.”
In addition to Younger’s energy expertise, Focus on Energy gave the Yacht Club at Sister Bay $8,300 to help offset the up-front cost of investing in LEDs.
Replacing lights in the condos was the second phase of the Yacht Club’s lighting upgrades. The first, in 2018, involved installing LEDs in the campus common areas and qualified for a $1,200 financial incentive from Focus on Energy.
Over the lifecycle of the lights, the projects will save the business an estimated 1,670,000 kilowatt hours of electricity, enough to meet the electric needs of 206 homes for a full year.
“Focus on Energy … is a great program,” Reinart said. “I have and will continue to recommend utilizing what they have to offer!”
The Yacht Club at Sister Bay is an electric customer of WPS, one of the 107 Wisconsin utilities that partner in the Focus on Energy Program.
A recent third-party evaluation revealed Wisconsin runs the most-cost-effective energy efficiency programs in the nation, in terms of energy savings per dollar spent. The same evaluation found every $1 invested in Focus on Energy generates $5 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.
