Oak Creek, Wis. – When executives at The Waters of Oak Creek chose to expand its reach and build its first senior living community in Wisconsin, they took advantage of what the Badger State had to offer.
The company built its new 136-unit facility in a thriving area of Oak Creek, close to parks, restaurants and shopping. The Waters also took advantage of the expertise and financial incentives offered to Wisconsin residents and businesses by FOCUS ON ENERGY®.
“Obviously, the importance of being energy conscious – not only for your bills but for the environment – is something we do. Our simple motto is ‘thrive’. That means the people that live here, our employees, the environment,” said Jason Wilson, Executive Director of The Waters of Oak Creek. “Any business at all, it’s [about] sustainability. If you can cut your costs on energy, you can focus a little bit more on your residents. You can put more back into your community and back into programming and things like that.”
The Waters of Oak Creek, located in Drexel Town Square, offers senior living, specialty care and respite care. Residents are now moving in and Wilson says the LED lighting throughout the facility can be a selling point.
“Most senior living [community garages] are dingy and dark, with the one light bulb every 10 feet… It’s like walking in a cave. Everything [here] is lit very bright, very safe for our seniors. It makes them feel more comfortable, more safe.”
The Waters of Oak Creek is an electric and gas customer of We Energies, one of the 107 Wisconsin utilities that fund and participate in the Focus on Energy program. Customers of those utilities are eligible for the energy expertise and financial incentives Focus on Energy offers.
The building has thousands of energy-efficient LED bulbs throughout the interior and exterior of the building, installed by Trawicki Electric, a Focus on Energy Trade Ally contractor. All the bulbs and fixtures added up to a $19,700.40 incentive for The Waters that helps offset the initial cost of investing in energy efficiency.
“It’s great. We’re excited. The lighting levels are awesome, and [we have] happy customers. That’s always a good thing,” said Elsie Kuczynski with Focus on Energy’s Multifamily Energy Savings Program.
The lighting will also save the company money on its electric bill for years to come. The roughly 3,400 LED bulbs installed at The Waters of Oak Creek, over their lifecycle, are estimated to save more than 3,000,000 kilowatt hours of electricity – enough to charge 270,000,000 smartphones.
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 focusonenergy.com.
