Mosinee, Wis. – Mosinee School District was recently honored by FOCUS ON ENERGY® with a 2020 Energy Efficiency Excellence Awards for its dedication to reducing energy waste across its buildings. The school district was presented with the Excellence Award at the Mosinee School District Board meeting earlier this week.

The Excellence Awards recognized program participants who have shown a commitment to leading in energy efficiency. In partnership with Focus on Energy, Wisconsin Public Service (WPS) and Nexus Solutions, Mosinee School District has made energy-saving improvements to each of its three school locations totaling more than 438,000 square feet.

“These investments are impactful in the long and short term by reducing the school district’s energy bills and providing jobs for the installers, while also improving air quality and comfort levels for students,” said Commissioner Tyler Huebner from the Public Service Commission (PSC) of Wisconsin, who presented the award to Mosinee School District. “We hope that other school districts look to you as a great example of what a commitment to efficiency can look like in the State of Wisconsin.”

The District has taken strides to remain proactive about the efficiency and energy savings of its facilities. Also presented at the Board meeting was an incentive check from Focus on Energy for $185,000, which helps offset the cost of the more-efficient equipment upgrades after completing energy-reducing projects. These projects included:

• Upgrading HVAC measures containing builder updates.
• Installing electronically commutated motors.
• Adding variable frequency drives to help regulate energy use in its buildings.
• Lighting measure upgrades, including new LED fixtures, LED lamps and lighting controls.

Focus on Energy’s 2018 Benchmarking Study, which evaluated and compared the energy efficiency of schools across Wisconsin, also played a role in motivating Mosinee School District to improve the efficiency of its energy operations. The study found that schools that made energy-saving upgrades saw reduced waste, improved operations, and lower energy costs which allowed schools to redirect financial savings to education needs and resources for its students and faculty.

“The really nice thing is that we upgraded so many areas that we’re going to be expensed less in one fashion or another,” said Steve Kaiser from Mosinee School District. “Partnering with Focus on Energy and getting paid back some of that is a win for everybody.”

Mike Kubowski, Mosinee School District’s Energy Advisor from Focus on Energy who worked closely with the district on its improvement projects, nominated the school district for the award.

“We commend the Mosinee School District for their commitment to energy efficiency and keeping the costs to operate their school buildings down which benefits local taxpayers,” said Kubowski.

In just two years, Mosinee School District has demonstrated its evolving leadership in energy efficiency by reducing energy waste in its facility operations and contributing to the wellness of its students, the greater community and the environment. This dedication highlights the basis for the district’s well-earned honor and will yield numerous benefits for years to come.

Focus on Energy is working with utility companies across the state throughout September and October to present Energy Efficiency Excellence Awards to 14 outstanding businesses.

Focus on Energy, Wisconsin’s energy efficiency and renewable energy resources program, partners with 107 utilities across the state to offer energy expertise and financial incentives to residents and businesses that choose to reduce energy waste. A third-party evaluation last year 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.