Madison, Wis. – Today, the Midwest Energy Efficiency Alliance (MEEA) announced that FOCUS ON ENERGY® earned its 2021 Inspiring Efficiency Award for Marketing.

Focus on Energy, Wisconsin’s energy efficiency and renewable energy resources program, is being honored for its efforts to create a comprehensive virtual marketing experience for its residential and business customers in response to the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020. This marks the fifth straight year the Program has won an Inspiring Efficiency Award from MEEA.

“Focus on Energy is extremely proud of its successful digital marketing efforts in 2020, which have played a significant role in allowing us to continue serving Wisconsin residents and businesses with cost-effective, energy-saving solutions during these unprecedented times,” said Commissioner Tyler Huebner with the Public Service Commission of Wisconsin.

In addition to Marketing, MEEA’s Inspiring Efficiency Award categories include Leadership, Innovation, Impact and Education. Each of the winners are being honored at a virtual awards ceremony over the next few days.

The virtualized Focus on Energy marketing initiatives highlighted by the award include its enhanced social media outreach, free energy-saving pack and discounted e-commerce promotions, virtual energy tools for businesses, and training and events webinars. The initiatives successfully created a better the online experience for customers, old and new, while providing improved education about and access to energy efficiency.

Focus on Energy’s digital outreach efforts consisted of:

• Monthly Focus Friday Five videos on social media covering energy efficiency tips, best practices, and resources to help customers reduce waste.
• A series of stop-motion videos to promote its free packs program, which delivers a box of energy-saving products directly to residents’ doors.
• Discounts and bundled deals on energy-efficient products through the Program’s Online Marketplace e-commerce site.
• Pop-up E-tail events allowing companies and other entities to host limited-time online stores with discounted energy efficiency products for their employees to purchase.
• A free Online Assessment Tool for businesses, which generates a customized list of energy improvements business owners and managers can make to improve their facility’s efficiency.
• Virtual presentation events, promotional marketing video clips, and an energy efficiency roadmap celebrating Focus on Energy’s 2020 Energy Efficiency Excellence Award winners.

The Program also developed training webinars to continue offering educational energy efficiency courses, allowing students to register and attend lessons online. Focus on Energy recently launched a new Learning Management System that provides free virtual training opportunities for residents, businesses and contractors in Wisconsin to grow their knowledge of energy efficiency.

“We’re honored to have won a 2021 Inspiring Efficiency Award,” said John Landowski, marketing and digital operations director at Focus on Energy. “This is significant to us because of the pivots our team made to face the challenges and uncertainty in the last year. We’re truly grateful to MEEA for instituting these awards to reward those advancing energy efficiency across the Midwest.”

The MEEA award adds to Focus on Energy’s long list of credits and accomplishments as the Program celebrates its 20th anniversary this year. To highlight progress and impact after two decades delivering energy-saving solutions to Wisconsin, past residential and business participants, contractors, and others who have worked with Focus on Energy are encouraged to share their stories and experiences.

Story submissions are being accepted now through the Program’s Share Your Story submission form, with the chance to be featured on the Program’s social media pages.
Focus on Energy partners with 107 utilities across the state to offer Wisconsin residents and businesses energy expertise and financial incentives to reduce energy waste.
A federal study completed in 2018 revealed Wisconsin runs the most cost-effective energy efficiency programs in the nation, in terms of energy savings per dollar spent. A separate evaluation released this year found every $1 invested in Focus on Energy generates $4.80 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 www.focusonenergy.com.