Media Contact: Scott Reigstad (608) 458-3145
College given Shared Savings Award for energy conservation and being green
MADISON, WI – April 29, 2009 – UW-Baraboo/Sauk County has received a Shared Savings Award in recognition of significant achievement in energy efficiency and conservation. The award was recently presented to the college by Alliant Energy Strategic Account Manager Dave Weigel. Shared Savings is an award-winning business energy-efficiency program that UW-Baraboo/Sauk County participated in to save energy and benefit the environment.
“UW-Baraboo/Sauk County is very deserving of recognition for the steps it has taken to realize sustainable energy-savings within its operations,” said Chris Schoenherr, Alliant Energy Director of Sales and Strategic Accounts. “We are proud that they are committed to being a green organization and we are pleased to give them our Shared Savings Award.”
The college utilized Shared Savings to replace a boiler that saved a significant amount of natural gas. The boiler replacement project saved 21,398 therms of natural gas – removing the equivalent greenhouse gas emissions of 19 passenger vehicles from the road or saving enough energy to power 14 average-sized homes for one year. In addition, by installing the new boilers, UW-Baraboo/Sauk County realized an annual savings of nearly $23,000 on its energy bill.
“We are pleased to be recognized by Alliant Energy for our achievement in energy efficiency,” said Carolyn Davis, UW-Baraboo/Sauk County Assistant Campus Dean. “We must set an example for our students about the importance of environmental stewardship, and we also need to show taxpayers that we are spending their dollars wisely. The college has worked hard to stretch our energy budget and be environmentally-friendly.”
As with any organization, cash is important and paying for the energy-efficiency measures takes upfront dollars before the long-term gains can be realized. That’s where Shared Savings stepped in to assist the college. The program is an initiative that assists industrial, commercial, institutional and agricultural customers with identification and implementation of energy efficiency projects – and invests the capital to finance them.
“We partnered with the college on this boiler replacement project and witnessed firsthand their commitment to environmental stewardship and wise energy use,” added Weigel. “The financing available through our Shared Savings program was a perfect fit for getting the project accomplished and capturing energy savings.”
UW-Baraboo/Sauk County is part of the University of Wisconsin Colleges – the 13 freshman and sophomore campuses of the University of Wisconsin System. The campus serves approximately 700 students, offering foundation coursework for over 200 majors, in addition to providing a variety of collaborative, non-credit, and special programs.
Through its Shared Savings program, Wisconsin Power and Light Company, an Alliant Energy company, has helped thousands of Wisconsin business, government and farm customers cut energy usage, save money and preserve precious natural resources for over 20 years. More than 2.1 billion kilowatt-hours of electricity have been saved over the last seven years with the program – that’s equal to the energy produced by a 280-megawatt power plant.
Business, government and farm customers interested in the low-cost financing available through WPL’s Shared Savings program are encouraged to visit http://www.alliantenergy.com/sharedsavings or call 1-866-ALLIANT (255-4268) for more information.
