Wisconsin Leads in Green Building

The American Institute of Architects (AIA) along with the International Code Council (ICC) hosted the "Green Codes Summit" on July 12 in Washington, D.C. The summit was organized by the AIA Codes and Standards committee which is chaired by Henry Kosarzycki, program manager with the Safety and Buildings Division. The focus of the summit was to gather public and private stakeholders from around the U. S. to address current and potential legislative and regulatory models and policies.

The summit was structured by first addressing the principals of what we currently refer to as "green. State panel representation included California, North Carolina and Wisconsin. The Municipal panel was represented by Boston, Chicago, Portland and Livermore California. Having heard from the various speakers regarding everything from principal to practice, the summit concluded with an intense discussion session. The focus of that session was based on realizing the end product of the summit; providing states and municipalities a consistent foundation or structure on which to build their "green" regulations.

Wisconsin was recognized at the summit as a leader in the current "green" focus in our built environment. Focus on Energy is one example of Wisconsin's leadership.

Wisconsin Focus on Energy
Focus on Energy is Wisconsin's statewide energy efficiency and renewable energy initiative. An award-winning, nationally recognized program, it works with both the public and private sectors and encourages Wisconsin residents and businesses to make informed energy decisions. By providing information, technical resources and incentives, Focus on Energy aids residents in lowering their cost of living and businesses in improving their bottom lines.

Recently, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency recognized Wisconsin's Focus on Energy Program for its leadership in the promotion of energy efficiency. Out of more than one thousand programs up for consideration, Focus on Energy was honored for achieving aggressive goals, employing innovative approaches and demonstrating the benefits ofenergy efficiency. As part of the overall recognition, efforts from Focus on Energy's Residential Programs were spotlighted.

Benefits of Focus on Energy (2001-2006)

• Lifetime dollar value of energy savings is more than $730 million.
• Emissions have been reduced by more than 5.7 million pounds of nitrogen oxides, 11.3 million pounds of sulfur dioxide, 2.6 billion pounds of greenhouse gas carbon dioxide and 45 pounds of mercury. Altogether, that's equivalent to removing more than 190,000 cars from Wisconsin's roads.
• More than 931 million kilowatt-hours and 47 million therms of energy have been saved annually. That's equal to: the amount of energy produced by burning 4,600 railroad car loads of coal; the electricity needs of the town of Oconto Falls, Wisconsin for over 90 years; the energy value of 2.6 million barrels of oil; and the amount of energy consumed annually by more than 93,000 average homes in Wisconsin.
• Energy efficient and renewable energy equipment retailers, manufacturers and installers have benefited from Focus on Energy's programs, which have led to $303 million in sales in Wisconsin.
• Current cost of conserved energy is $0.03/kWh and $0.18/therm—considerably less than the cost to generate that energy.

Wisconsin Home Energy Plus
Home Energy Plus programs help families and individuals with limited incomes.* Managed by the Department of Administration, the programs are delivered to eligible households through county health and social services agencies, community action agencies, tribal governments and other nonprofit organizations. The ultimate goal of all low income energy programs is to make the households energy self-sufficient; that is, to provide services that help households meet their energy costs on an ongoing basis without sacrificing other necessities.

FY06 Results

• Public Benefits Electric Assistance:
• Provided assistance to 137,502 households
• Average payment: $159
• Public Benefits Crisis Assistance:
  • Provided assistance to 8,220 households
  • Average payment: $220
• Public Benefits Heating Unit Repair and Replacement:
  • Provided heating unit repair and replacement to 1,875 households
  • Average payment: $1,256
• Weatherization Assistance:
  • Provided assistance to 7,277 households
  • Average unit cost: $4,799

For more information regarding the Greening of Wisconsin please contact:
Joshua Clements, Office of Energy Independence.

-- Henry Kosarzycki, AIA, Department of Commerce and Joshua Clements, Office of Energy Independence