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Rural Waunakee/DeForest dairy farm given Shared Savings Award for energy conservation and being green
MADISON, WI – April 20, 2009 – Maier Farms, a dairy farm located near Waunakee and DeForest, has received a Shared Savings Award in recognition of significant achievement in energy efficiency and conservation. The award was presented to the dairy operation by Alliant Energy Agricultural Representative Steve Argall on April 15. Shared Savings is an award-winning business energy-efficiency program that Maier Farms participated in to save energy and benefit the environment.
“Maier Farms is very deserving of recognition for the steps it has taken to realize sustainable energy-savings within its operations,” said Chris Schoenherr, Alliant Energy Director of Sales and Strategic Accounts. “We are proud that they are committed to being a green organization and we are pleased to give them our Shared Savings Award.”
Maier Farms, operated by Keith and Scott Maier, utilized Shared Savings for a milking parlor expansion, which helped the family partnership expand its dairy herd. The equipment used in the project included chiller milk cooling, well water pre-cooling, a variable speed drive pump system, heat recovery for hot water and energy-efficient lighting in the barns. The upgrades are saving 352,820 kilowatt-hours of electricity annually – the equivalent of removing the greenhouse gas emissions of 46 passenger vehicles from the road or saving enough energy to power 23 averaged-sized homes for one year.
“We are pleased to be recognized by Alliant Energy for our achievement in energy efficiency,” said Keith and Scott Maier, operators of Maier Farms. “We’ve worked hard at our dairy to reduce the amount of energy we use and to save money on our electric bills.”
As with any business, cash is important and paying for the energy-efficiency measures takes upfront dollars before the long-term gains can be realized. That’s where Shared Savings stepped in to assist Maier Farms. The program is an initiative that assists industrial, commercial and agricultural customers with identification and implementation of energy efficiency projects – and invests the capital to finance them.
“I worked closely with Keith and Scott on the milking parlor upgrade and they were very committed to being green and reducing the farm’s energy use,” added Argall. “The financing available through our Shared Savings program was a perfect fit for getting their projects accomplished.”
Through its Shared Savings program, Wisconsin Power and Light Company, an Alliant Energy company, has helped thousands of Wisconsin business and farm customers cut energy usage, save money and preserve precious natural resources for over 20 years. More than 2.1 billion kilowatt-hours of electricity have been saved over the last seven years with the program – that’s equal to the energy produced by a 280-megawatt power plant.
Business and farm customers interested in the low-cost financing available through WPL’s Shared Savings program are encouraged to visit http://www.alliantenergy.com/sharedsavings or call 1-866-ALLIANT (255-4268) for more information.
Maier Farms is located on Schumacher Road about 4 miles north of Waunakee and about 5 miles west of DeForest.
