by jboullion | Dec 18, 2009 | Uncategorized
By Michael Vickerman, RENEW Wisconsin
As a result of educating themselves on the connection between energy use and atmospheric pollution, several school districts in Wisconsin are taking increasingly aggressive steps to conserve energy as well as produce a portion of what they use on-site. Some have embraced ground source heat pump systems (Fond du Lac High School), while others have installed solar hot water systems (Osceola Middle School) and solar electric systems (Paul Olson elementary school in Madison). Not to be outdone, Wausau East High School recently installed a 100 kilowatt (kW) Northwind turbine, which is now the largest wind generator attached to a school building in Wisconsin.
Yet if one measures success by substantial reductions in energy expenditures and emissions reductions, there is one school district in Wisconsin that stands head and shoulders above its peers: Fort Atkinson. Serving 2,700 school-age children in a community of 12,000, the Fort Atkinson School District operates six buildings: four elementary schools, one middle school and a high school. School officials have made no secret of their aspiration to make Fort Atkinson the most energy-efficient and self-sufficient K-12 district in the state.
Since 2005, Fort Atkinson has rigorously pursued a sustainable energy agenda that integrates, in a systematic and complementary fashion, continuous monitoring of consumption, aggressive building efficiency measures, and renewable energy capture. As articulated in its 2009 energy plan, the district’s principal goals for 2010 are nothing if not ambitious:
Pare energy costs by 20% from 2005 levels;
Lower carbon emissions by 25% from 2005 levels;
Obtain EnergyStar certification for all six schools; and
Install on-site renewable production at all six schools.
Virtually every renewable energy technology or efficiency measure available to a Wisconsin K-12 district has already been or is about to be deployed somewhere in Fort Atkinson. This lengthy list includes ground source heat pumps, solar hot water systems, lighting retrofits, tankless water heaters, retro-commissioning, occupancy sensors, window replacement, and roof insulation. On the district’s 2010 installation list are a 50 kW wind generator at the high school and a 20 kW solar electric system at Purdy elementary school.
The integrated approach pursued by Fort Atkinson leads to lower operating expenses, which in turn frees up capital for renewable technologies that have higher up-front costs but will deliver energy to the school buildings long after the initial investment is paid off. At the same time, converting sunlight and wind into useful energy sources enable building owners to reduce the variability of their utility costs. For a school district, that means not having to worry about the effect of a colder-than-normal winter on next year’s budget for textbooks.
The solar water heating systems serving the high school and the middle school neatly illustrate this benefit. The radiant energy striking the rooftop panels year-round is efficiently collected and taken inside to preheat the swimming pools in each building. Except during the winter months, the incoming solar energy is sufficient to maintain pool temperatures at 84°F. Even in January, however, the savings that a solar hot water system yields simply by preheating a pool to 70°F is substantial when multiplied over several decades.
The capital required to heat a swimming pool with solar energy is not trivial. For the 48-panel system atop the high school, the installed cost totaled $192,000, while the 32-panel installation serving the middle school came in at $115,000. Dennis Kuchenmeister, who manages the district’s buildings and grounds, estimates a 5% return on investment (ROI) for the high school’s system and an 11% ROI on the middle school’s system. According to Kuchenmeister, the hot water systems will supply about 60% of the heat going into the pools, displacing the equivalent of nearly 9,000 therms a year. The district expects to save $18,000 in avoided fuel costs per year.
Kuchenmeister’s economic estimates factor in incentives from Focus on Energy covering up to 35% of the total installed cost and matching incentives from We Energies, the local utility serving the school district. By taking full advantage of available incentive dollars, the school district was able to reduce the out-of-pocket portion of installation costs by more than 50%.
Because the annual harvest of solar energy striking a particular spot rarely fluctuates by more than 10%, a building owner can be reasonably confident of how much conventional energy an installation will displace. In contrast, the cost of heating a pool with natural gas can easily triple during a 12-month period even when usage remains constant. This in fact happened to Fort Atkinson in the 12 months preceding the installation of its two solar hot water systems in the fall of 2008.
Thus, the real value of Fort Atkinson’s solar hot water installations is in minimizing the district’s exposure to the price volatility associated with unregulated fossil fuels like natural gas. And while it’s true that natural gas prices are presently at five-year lows, they could easily bounce back to 2008 levels in a year or two, depending on events over which end-users have no control. However, by installing a renewable technology that preheats their swimming pools, Fort Atkinson has effectively insured itself against a repeat appearance of the fossil fuel rollercoaster ride that most school districts would just as soon forget.
There are two other reasons why school buildings are well-matched for solar energy installations. First, the buildings themselves are dedicated to a public function that is expected to last for several generations. In such settings it is easier to justify the additional up-fronts costs, especially if the installation also communicates a valuable lesson in sustainability to the entire community. Second, most schools, especially newer ones, have an abundance of flat, unshaded roof space that can support large arrays, irrespective of building orientation.
Real-time production data from both installations can be accessed online by visiting www.fatspaniel.net and searching for the live sites listed under We Energies. The district also uses Energy Watchdog, a web-based program provided by Focus on Energy to track energy usage. This program enables Fort Atkinson to document the energy and cost reductions from measures specified in its energy plan.
The middle school is also one of four schools in Fort Atkinson equipped with ground source heat pump systems that heat and cool the buildings year-round using the nearly constant temperatures in the ground. These systems heat buildings in the winter and cool them in the summer. Ground source heat pump systems are electrically powered; no heating fuel like natural gas or propane is needed to heat the four schools.
“We essentially cut the gas line to our schools,” said Kuchenmeister during a presentation on his district’s sustainable energy initiative last November in Milwaukee.
The operational costs of ground source heat pumps are substantially lower than the HVAC systems they replace. As a result of their renovation, the three elementary schools have seen their energy intensity drop by more than one-half, even though they now have air-conditioning in the classrooms. School officials estimate that all four ground source heat pump systems will save the district $90,000 annually in fuel costs.
As with solar hot water systems, Focus on Energy provides incentives for ground source heat pumps to schools, businesses and residences. The program awarded more than $96,000 towards the four systems installed in Fort Atkinson.
According to a Focus on Energy fact sheet, “a ground source heat pump system is arguably the most efficient technology for heating and cooling Wisconsin homes and businesses.” Given its embrace of that technology and others deployed in its buildings, Fort Atkinson has become, in terms of energy sustainability, arguably the most forward-thinking school district in the state.
RENEW Wisconsin (www.renewwisconsin.org) is an independent, nonprofit 501(c)(3) organization based in Madison that acts as a catalyst to advance a sustainable energy future through public policy and private sector initiatives. Michael Vickerman has been the organization’s executive director since 1991.
Solar Hot Water Systems – Fact Sheet
Fort Atkinson School District
Full Service Installers
Andy DeRocher
Mark O’Neal
Full Spectrum Solar
100 South Baldwin Street, Suite 101
Madison, WI 53703
Phone: 608.284.9495
info@fullspectrumsolar.com
www.fullspectrumsolar.com
Types of system installations:
Solar hot water, solar electric
Service Territory:
150 miles
At-A-Glance – High School SHW System
Collector space: 1,920 sq. ft (48 4’x10′ panels)
Panel manufacturer: Heliodyne Gobi
Tilt angle: 45 degrees
Annual fuel savings: 8,539 therms assuming 80% efficient gas boilers
Avoided CO2 emissions: 47 tons/year
Pool Size: 4,200 sq. ft.
Preheated water volume: 188,227 gallons
Pool operating temperature: 80°F
Incoming water temperature: 55°F
Installation cost: $192,000
Focus on Energy Incentive: $50,000
We Energies match: $50,000
System payback: 10 ¾ years
Installation date: Fall 2008
At-A-Glance – Middle School SHW System
Collector space: 1,280 sq. ft (32 4’x10′ panels)
Panel manufacturer: Heliodyne Gobi
Tilt angle: 45 degrees
Annual fuel savings: 8,763 therms assuming 60% efficient gas boiler
Avoided CO2 emissions: 49 tons/year
Pool Size: 2,635 sq. ft.
Preheated water volume: 96,921 gallons
Pool operating temperature: 84°F
Incoming water temperature: 55°F
Installation cost: $115,000
Focus on Energy Incentive: $40,400
We Energies match: $40,400
System payback: 4 years
Installation date: Fall 2008
by jboullion | Dec 18, 2009 | Uncategorized
Each year citizens from across Wisconsin descend on the Capitol to share their conservation values with their Legislators. Since the first Conservation Lobby Day in 2005, it has grown from just 100 citizens to more than 600! As we head into the 6th annual Conservation Lobby Day, there is one thing we can guarantee-when citizens come together to make their conservation values known, legislators listen, and conservation victories soon follow!
The reauthorization of the Knowles-Nelson Stewardship Fund and the passage of the Strong Great Lakes Compact are two great examples of how citizen lobbying resulted in ground-breaking conservation laws.
Conservation Lobby Day is a unique opportunity to share your conservation stories and experiences with legislators and have a huge impact on conservation policies affecting all of Wisconsin.
This Conservation Lobby Day, you can help to:
* Preserve Groundwater: Wisconsin’s Buried Treasure: manage Wisconsin’s groundwater resources to preserve lakes, streams, wetlands and drinking water supplies.
* Stop Global Warming in Wisconsin: address the threats of global warming in Wisconsin through clean, renewable energy jobs and energy conservation.
* Restore Conservation Integrity: return Wisconsin to an Independent DNR Secretary and a timely appointment of Natural Resource Board members.
* Protect Wisconsin’s Drinking Water: protect Wisconsin’s drinking water supplies by making sure we safely spread agricultural, municipal, and industrial waste.
For a 1-page brief on each of these issues and more information about Conservation Lobby Day 2010, go to: http://www.conservationvoters.org/Public/index.php?custID=110
Registration starts at 9:00am on the day of the event, but you MUST REGISTER BEFORE JANUARY 19th by visiting http://www.conservationvoters.org/Public/index.php?custID=110 and signing up. There you can learn more about the issues in order to better prepare you for the day’s events.
by jboullion | Dec 18, 2009 | Uncategorized
From a story on WQOW-TV:
Menomonie (WQOW) – The Cash for Appliances program is set to begin in Wisconsin. It will work similar to cash for clunkers, but only with large household appliances: freezers, washers, dishwashers will bank a discount.
By going green, you could end up saving some green in more ways than one.
“I think that what they want to do is tune up the energy efficiency of the appliances that are out there and if we’re saving energy and not burning electricity that makes everything green,” says Deb Rogge, owner of Denny’s Appliance in Menomonie.
Cash for appliances works like this: if you purchase a new energy star appliance after January 1st, you could get rebates of up to $200. But the program does have some restrictions.
“Not all appliance dealers are registered Focus on Energy or Energy Star dealers. It has to be for replacement appliances only because new construction will not qualify,” says Rogge.
And not all appliances qualify either.
“So if you are looking at replacing your washing machine, your refrigerator, your freezer or your dishwasher, those are the household appliances that it applies to,” she says.
So how much can you save?
Energy star refrigerators will qualify for a $75 rebate.
Select dishwashers: $25.
Energy star freezers: $50.
Certain energy star washers: $100.
Water heaters with certain energy efficiency levels will qualify for $150.
But just like the cash for clunkers program, the money may not last that long.
by jboullion | Dec 18, 2009 | Uncategorized
From a Tom Content blog post on JSonline:
The state-authorized surcharge on electric bills to pay for district attorney salaries is now hitting utility bills of We Energies customers.
The Milwaukee utility is the last of the investor-owned utilities in the state to begin collecting the surcharge. The increase took effect with bills processed on Thursday, utility spokesman Brian Manthey said.
For residential customers, the fee amounts to 47 cents a month. The fee will drop to 26 cents a month for the fiscal year that starts in July.
Small businesses will be assessed $1.07 a month beginning now and 57 cents a week beginning in July. Factories can expect to pay $29.53 a month starting this week, and $15.83 a month beginning in July, the utility said.
Wisconsin legislators included the surcharge among a host of fee increases aimed at helping balance the state budget. Other fee increases adopted as part of the state budget include surcharges imposed on cell-phone bills.
We Energies will end up collecting about $8 million for the state from its customers across the state over the next 19 months, Manthey said.
Prosecutors are being paid from a fund originally designed to help poor people pay their utility bills and weatherize their homes. The extra fee is the latest in a series of budget maneuvers that have sent a total of $166 million from electricity ratepayers to non-energy-related state government purposes since 2002.
by jboullion | Dec 18, 2009 | Uncategorized
From an article by Larry Bivins in the Wausau Daily Herald:
WASHINGTON — Despite concerns over whether China and other nations will allow emissions inspections, Congress should pass legislation to reduce the release of greenhouse gases in the United States, Gov. Jim Doyle said Wednesday.
In a conference call from Copenhagen, Denmark, where he is attending an international climate change summit, Doyle said legislation to reduce emissions was too critical to the nation’s economic growth to let die in the Senate.
“We better seize the moment,” Doyle said.
Since arriving in Copenhagen on Monday, Doyle said he has met with dozens of government officials from around the world.
On Wednesday, Doyle announced that he and Manitoba, Canada, Premier Greg Selinger have agreed to host bilateral workshops on building a green economy, following up on a memorandum of understanding signed in October.
The United Nations Climate Change Conference began Dec. 8 and is scheduled to end today. World leaders hope to agree on a plan for reducing emissions.
by jboullion | Dec 17, 2009 | Uncategorized
An Associated Press article published in the Minneapolis Star Tribune:
MADISON, Wis. – Wisconsin Gov. Jim Doyle says he is focusing on developing jobs in clean energy fields at the U.N. climate summit in Copenhagen.
Doyle told reporters in a conference call Wednesday he has been meeting with other leaders and company executives to discuss “building a good strong new economy in green energy and energy conservation.”
Doyle said Wisconsin has a tremendous opportunity to create a significant part of its economy around jobs in water, wind energy, and sustainable forestry.
He said the state must not resist transitioning away from the dirty fuel sources like coal that have historically powered the state. Doing so, he said, would put the state at an economic disadvantage.
by jboullion | Dec 17, 2009 | Uncategorized
From an article in the Fond du Lac Reporter:
MADISON, WI – December 16, 2009 – If you are considering replacing the older appliances in your home, 2010 may be the year to do it. Alliant Energy is encouraging its Wisconsin customers to take advantage of the new State Energy Efficient Appliance Rebate Program (SEEARP) next year to receive Cash-Back Rewards to purchase new ENERGY STAR® qualified or high efficiency appliances and equipment when they replace their used ones.
Starting January 1, 2010, as part of funding awarded to the state under the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act – widely known as the federal stimulus package – all Wisconsin residents will have the opportunity to become more energy efficient while saving money through the State Energy Efficient Appliance Rebate Program. The initiative is being administered by Focus on Energy, Wisconsin’s statewide resource for energy efficiency and renewable energy.
“If homeowners have been considering purchasing new appliances at some point, it’s an ideal time to do so in 2010 under this program,” said Linda Mattes, Alliant Energy Director of Energy Efficiency and Renewables. “Appliances, water heaters, and heating and cooling equipment are among the largest energy users in a home and replacing them with newer, more efficient models will save families money in the long run.”
by jboullion | Dec 16, 2009 | Uncategorized
From a news release issued by the coalition for Clean, Responsible Energy for Wisconsin’s Economy (CREWE):
(MADISON, Wis.)—The coalition for Clean, Responsible Energy for Wisconsin’s Economy (CREWE) on Tuesday released a fact sheet detailing the errors with the Wisconsin Policy Research Institute’s (WPRI) November 12th report on the adverse economic effects of the Governor’s Task Force on Global Warming recommendations.
“The WPRI report is so wildly flawed that it has no place in any legislative debate on the task force recommendations,” said Thad Nation, executive director of CREWE. “Not only does the report analyze many policies that aren’t even included in the Clean Energy Jobs Act, but it takes a piecemeal approach, failing to analyze the cumulative effect the policies will have on our state.”
Among the errors included in the report, titled “The Economics of Climate Change Proposals in Wisconsin”:
• 8 of the 13 policies analyzed aren’t included in the Clean Energy Jobs Act
• Models policies that would impact the state’s general fund, despite the fact that the Clean Energy Jobs Act includes no tax increases
• Ignores the fact that low carbon fuels will be produced in Wisconsin and other
Midwestern states, while conventional gasoline is largely imported from overseas
• Fails to take into account decreased electricity demand due to energy efficiency and conservation investments outlined in the recommendations.
In addition, the authors of the report used a “black box” economic model to come to their conclusions – meaning the reader is only given the inputs and outputs, without any knowledge of how the statistical analysis was done. In order to allow others to properly analyze the report’s conclusions, the model that was used should be made publicly available for review.
by jboullion | Dec 16, 2009 | Uncategorized
With little fanfare, legislative leaders releases a copy of the bill to implement the recommendations of the Task Force on Global Warming. Use these links to access:
+ Bill draft
+ Index to the bill
+ Short overview
+ Detailed summary
by jboullion | Dec 16, 2009 | Uncategorized
From a news release issued by Better Environmental Solutions and the Wisconsin Grocers Association:
Tomah, WI – With state and world leaders gathered in Copenhagen to talk about climate change, Burnstad’s European Market is one of the first grocery stores in the state to achieve the ‘Green Grocer’ certification, which assists grocery stores in achieving energy savings, sustainability and environmental standards.
“Burnstad’s Tomah European Market and the WGA’s Green Grocer Program show that businesses can reduce their costs, emissions and improve service with energy efficiency,” said Governor Jim Doyle. “This shows one concrete way for Wisconsin to be a leader to create green jobs and a green economy.”
The WGA Green Grocer Program recently won the Governor’s Award for Excellence in Energy Efficiency.
Burnstad’s Market upgraded their lighting and refrigerator compressor efficiency saving $17,703 and 228,446 kilowatt hours of electricity annually. This is enough electricity to power 21 homes and the equivalent to taking 31 cars off the road. They will reduce CO2 emissions by 408,795 pounds of greenhouse gas emissions next year. Burnstad’s received a DOE Rebuild Grant to help upgrade food service equipment with Energy Star appliances.
“We are pleased to be one of the first grocery stores in the Wisconsin to be Green Grocer certified,” said Kent Burnstad, chair of Burnstad’s Markets. “We took many steps like more efficient refrigerators, lights, and motors to save energy and reduce our energy bills and carbon emissions. We save money that we can pass onto our customers and pass a better community onto our children.”
Offered by the Wisconsin Grocers Association (WGA) to its members, the program is administered by Better Environmental Solutions, a Madison, Wisconsin-based environmental consulting firm. ‘Green Grocers’ also received energy efficiency and conservation programming support from Wisconsin Power and Light (WPL), an Alliant Energy company. The seven Green Grocer stores taking action will reduce 3,986,000 pounds of CO2 emissions and save 2,389,010 kilowatt hours of electricity next year, equal to taking 328 cars off the road.
