MON AM News: Looking closer at energy usage trends could yield affordability insights, panelists say; Report highlights potential for Kenosha County housing developments

September 21, 2026

— Looking closer at energy usage trends among utility customers could yield insights about affordability challenges in Wisconsin and elsewhere, panelists said at a recent Customers First Coalition event.

Destenie Nock, an associate professor of civil and environmental engineering at Carnegie Mellon University, said assessing typical energy usage trends among households in a given utility’s territory can provide a useful metric.

“If you know that, now you know who’s in energy deprivation and who is energy-efficient,” she said last week. “I think that that is so important for our field. It’s something that we’ve been working on and I think it allows us to have these really rich, proactive conversations about customers.”

Nock highlighted customers engaging in “energy-limiting behaviors” due to financial challenges, such as using less heat or air conditioning or other appliances. In some cases, people are taking “dangerous” approaches to heating their home like running an open oven or rerouting dryer vents back into the house, she said.

Citizens Utility Board Executive Director Tom Content said legislators and energy regulators like the state Public Service Commission “need to follow the data” when it comes to addressing affordability issues in Wisconsin.

He referenced a national consumer advocacy resolution from about four years ago calling for utilities to track disconnections, payment late fees, customers with medical payment arrangements, public assistance recipients, and numerous other factors indicating energy affordability.

“I think we’re going to need to add to that new metrics based on our talk today by Dr. Nock,” Content said. “We need to be able to track this energy-limiting behavior … The data’s out there to find out more about what’s really going on, so that’s another step forward we could take.”

Nock agreed “there’s so much data out there” to identify customers teetering on the brink before they enter a crisis, noting it’s much more difficult to help them after the fact.

“Because now you’ve got bad debt on the books, the family’s in crisis, they’re trying to run away from the utility, y’all are trying to chase after them and they just don’t want … their lights to get cut off, right, or their heating,” she said.

The state’s Wisconsin Home Energy Assistance Program or WHEAP helps eligible households cover the cost of heating and electricity, funded in part by the federally supported Low Income Home Energy Assistance Program.

Meanwhile, members of the public are growing more aware of energy affordability challenges as these issues have begun hitting the middle class in addition to low-income households, Content noted.

“We’re seeing it in terms of the data we’re tracking, not just the low-income, but the increase in moderate income households who are struggling to make ends meet who are ineligible for energy assistance programs but they’re working two jobs, and if they lose one of them they could fall into that,” he said. “That trend over time is going up.”

Watch the video.

— Communities within Kenosha County are in an “ideal situation” to expand housing development, given the area’s aging housing stock, strong local demand for more options to rent and buy plus other factors.

That’s according to a recent study conducted by Illinois-based Tracy Cross & Associates on behalf of the county, which found “more than adequate” demand for various new housing alternatives to meet the needs of the market.

Report authors found the current supply of housing for “mainstream” buyers and renters is constrained in Kenosha County, noting a lack of options for those earning between 65% and 150% of the county’s median household income. That’s $81,239, according to the U.S. Census Bureau.

The report touts “the opportunity to introduce new and differentiated housing product in a market where such product is definitely needed” given the existing homes currently available. It found 56.8% of all housing units in the county were built before 1980, with just 7.1% having been built within the last 15 years.

Authors also noted the county’s proximity to larger metropolitan areas — Milwaukee, Chicago and Madison to a lesser degree — as well as the possibility of “spillover” from surrounding areas, authors wrote.

As officials and developers eye future projects, the report argues “practically any suitable location” within the county should be considered for residential development or redevelopment.

Along with laying out specific details for the various types of development that would meet demands of the local markets within the county, report authors also favored creating a large-scale “master-planned” community with multiple mainstream and market rate options in a single location.

This approach “would offer current and future Kenosha County residents an opportunity to readily pick and choose an alternative” that meets their income level and lifestyle, authors wrote.

See the report.

See the release.

— State officials celebrated the opening of Kikkoman’s new production facility in Jefferson, which represents a $560 million investment over 10 years.

The soysauce company is eligible for up to $15.5 million in Enterprise Zone tax credits from the Wisconsin Economic Development Corp. for the project, which it can earn through capital investment and job creation.

With the new production site, along with Kikkoman’s Walworth facilities, the company plans to invest more than $800 million in total and create 80 jobs in the area, according to details from the guv’s office.

The Jefferson manufacturing site is the company’s third in the United States, and is expected to start shipping products this fall.

Kikkoman Chairman and honorary CEO Yuzaburo Mogi says the company’s partnership with Wisconsin has “long been central to our success.” The Japanese business has had a presence in Wisconsin since 1973.

“This facility gives us proximity to key agricultural suppliers, access to high-quality water our brewing process demands, and a workforce rooted in the same values that have guided Kikkoman for generations,” Mogi said in a statement.

See the release.

— The Medical College of Wisconsin has inaugurated Dr. Shekar Kurpad as its new president and CEO, succeeding former leader Dr. John Raymond.

The college yesterday held a ceremony in Milwaukee to recognize Kurpad, a neurosurgeon who specializes in treating spinal and cranial disorders. He’s also led research in this area through a laboratory at MCW, serving as principal investigator on multiple projects.

In comments provided by MCW, Kurpad said the college has an opportunity to “connect our strengths in new ways” and build on collaborative efforts.

“If we do this together, we will become a destination for health, built on discovery, dedicated to care, powered by education, and strengthened by community partnerships, with one shared purpose: improving health for all,” he said.

For more of the most relevant health care news, reports on groundbreaking research in Wisconsin, links to top stories and more, sign up today for the free daily Health Care Report from WisPolitics and WisBusiness.com.

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— In the latest Dem radio address, Gov. Tony Evers marks National Clean Energy Week and highlights the state’s clean energy plan.

“Conservation and protecting our natural resources are core to who we are as Wisconsinites—it’s in our DNA,” Evers says. “Folks, we don’t have to choose between good-paying jobs and a strong economy and taking care of our planet and protecting our environment. Here in Wisconsin, we’re doing both.”

The Dem governor mentions the plan’s goal to bring 40,000 jobs to Wisconsin. Evers goes on to talk about improvements to electric vehicle charging infrastructure, additional solar projects and nuclear fusion energy investments.

“The proof is in the pudding, folks. Ensuring our state is prepared for the 21st century doesn’t mean abandoning all of our state’s history and traditions—we aren’t and we won’t,” Evers says.

— Wisconsin Manufacturers & Commerce has announced the 108 nominees for this year’s Coolest thing Made in Wisconsin contest, as voting starts today for the 11th annual competition.

The top 16 nominees in the popular vote round will compete head-to-head in the Manufacturing Madness bracket-style competition. After several voting rounds, the final winner will be celebrated at WMC’s Business Day in Madison event on Oct. 27.

See the list of nominees here and see more on the contest here.

See the release.

Inside the drivers bringing a manufacturing HQ, hundreds of jobs to West Bend

Kikkoman opens Jefferson manufacturing facility

TOPICS

AGRIBUSINESS

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CONSTRUCTION

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ECONOMY

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EDUCATION