City of Madison program to help increase energy efficiency of commercial buildings

MADISON, Wis. (WMTV) - A program to help Madison businesses increase their energy efficiency was announced Wednesday by Mayor Satya Rhodes-Conway and other community leaders.

The Building Energy Savings program will be developed to help commercial building owners identify ways to save energy, which the mayor noted makes up one-third of community-wide greenhouse gas emissions.

“Improving energy efficiency is one of the most important things we can all do to combat climate change,” Rhodes Conway said. “We are committed to working with the Madison community to tailor a program for Madison that benefits building owners and tenants.”

The program would offer services including “energy benchmarking” and periodic tune-ups for large commercial buildings.

The City of Madison has a goal of reaching 100% renewable energy and net carbon emissions for City operations by 2030 and community-wide by 2050. District 13 Alder Tag Evers, who attended the event, said that it is on the whole community to be a part of this effort.

“This is an opportunity for Madison’s business community to stand alongside the City and commit to real climate action,” Evers said. “I encourage all business and community leaders to work with City staff on how to maximize the benefits of this program.”

Madison will join over 40 other state and local governments in creating programs aimed at making their buildings more energy efficient, the City added.

The City will hold a virtual public information meeting for the program at 1:30 p.m. on July 13 and workshops to gather public input on the program at 1 p.m. on July 20, July 27 and Aug. 3.