Consumers Energy

As Michigan’s largest utility, Consumers Energy provides natural gas and electricity to 6.6 million residents in all 68 Lower Peninsula counties. Consumers Energy offers a wide variety of residential and business energy efficiency programs underpinned by ENERGY STAR® certified products, home construction, and management strategies for buildings. Consumers Energy is receiving ENERGY STAR Partner of the Year recognition for its success in expanding delivery of Building Performance with ENERGY STAR, and promotion of certified products and new homes. Key 2014 accomplishments include:

• Expanding Building Performance with ENERGY STAR beyond K-12 schools to key commercial sectors including primary healthcare, universities and colleges, and office buildings. Thirty-one Consumers Energy customers have now participated, bringing 270 buildings into the program. In addition to ongoing energy management improvements, 50 energy efficiency projects have been completed, representing 421,000 kilowatt hours and 7,360 thousand cubic feet of energy savings. 
• Working with more than 300 retailers across Michigan to promote ENERGY STAR certified lighting and appliances and distributing 85,000 ENERGY STAR certified light bulbs to those in need through partnerships with local food banks—saving customers more than 70,000 megawatt hours.
• Educating consumers about ENERGY STAR lighting through major community events such as converting the Grand Rapids New Year’s ball from halogen to ENERGY STAR certified light-emitting diode (LED) bulbs to garner media attention and leveraging ENERGY STAR program tools such as Ask the Expert: How to Choose a Light Bulb video on its own website to deepen customer understanding.
• Providing rebates for 510 ENERGY STAR certified homes, a 24-percent increase from the 2013 total of 411 homes.
• Helping 10 leading HVAC companies achieve new credentials to work with ENERGY STAR, increasing the number of active contractors by a third.
• Advancing workforce development in their Home Performance with ENERGY STAR program through effective collaboration with contractor networks, including ACI, Michigan Energy Efficiency Contractors Association, and local contractor organizations.