Partnership with FOCUS ON ENERGY® Leads to Beautiful, Efficient New Office Building
$65,045
Madison, WI
Alliant Energy & Madison Gas and Electric
Madison, WI – The Gialamas Company’s new office building in Madison will save the real estate development and building management company's tenants more than $77,000 per year in energy costs.
The journey to that level of energy efficiency started when the company hired Iconica to design and build Sauk Trails Plaza II, a five-story, 160,000-squre-foot office space on Fourier Drive in west Madison. Iconica had previously worked with the Design Assistance team at Focus on Energy, Wisconsin’s statewide energy efficiency program, and renewed that partnership in the design of Sauk Trails Plaza II.
“Iconica has used Design Assistance for a number of projects with great success,” said Chad Faber, MPE Engineering Director at Iconica. “The program provides a cost-effective method of analyzing the benefits of utilizing energy-saving measures in a facility.”
Energy-saving measures at the recently-opened Sauk Trails Plaza II include high-efficiency LED lighting, gas furnace and gas boiler, as well as energy efficient walls, occupancy/vacancy sensors for lighting and heat recovery equipment. Faber said the energy expertise of the Design Assistance team helped bring the project together.
“It was especially useful on this project, which implemented a complex, high-efficiency HVAC system and extensive lighting controls,” Faber said. “Focus on Energy was great to work with. They made the process very easy and guided the design team to results that could be used to share with owners. These results, in the end, assisted the team and owner [in deciding] what options to implement.”
Sauk Trails Plaza II project was paid a financial incentive of $65,045 to help offset the initial investment in high-efficiency equipment. That incentive payment, combined with the estimated $77,121 in annual savings, means the energy-efficient measures will pay for themselves in a little more than seven years.
The utilities for the property are Alliant Energy and Madison Gas and Electric, two of the 107 Wisconsin utilities that fund the Focus on Energy program. Customers of those utilities are eligible for the energy expertise and financial incentives the program offers.
The most recent independent evaluation found every $1 invested in Focus on Energy programs creates $5.93 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 focusonenergy.com.
