WE Energies Customer Spotlight On Energy Efficiency

Johnson Financial Group is a large commercial customer of We Energies, offering a full range of financial services for individuals and businesses throughout Wisconsin. Headquartered in Racine, Johnson Financial Group has several subsidiaries in our service area, including six locations in Racine and four in Kenosha, totaling more than 30 locations throughout the state.

Johnson Financial Group’s vision for a sustainability program is driven by the value of social responsibility and the desire to reduce costs and pass those savings to customers. A path to environmental consciousness and practice was formed with a commitment to use energy more efficiently.

Johnson Financial Group has experienced the benefits of a successful energy-efficiency program by establishing baseline energy performance, setting goals, engaging teams and implementing energy-saving solutions. Johnson Financial Group continuously works with We Energies and Focus on Energy to identify and implement energy-saving and sustainability projects, including the use of Focus on Energy rebates when applicable for their projects.

LED lighting retrofits and exterior upgrades were completed at several locations, including their corporate headquarters at The Johnson Building in downtown Racine. Additionally, Johnson Financial Group established best practices by installing variable frequency drives for suitable motor upgrades and converting constant volume heating, ventilation and air conditioning systems to variable air volume whenever feasible.

A building automation system (BAS) was installed in the corporate headquarters in 2009, which includes projected savings of 500,000 kilowatt-hours and 17,000 therms, with an annual savings of $57,000. Focus on Energy also awarded $40,000 to offset the cost of the BAS. This system is recommissioned annually to suit conditions for optimal energy savings.

• Other modeled energy-saving measures at The Johnson Building include:
• Automatic shades and low-emissivity glass to reduce solar gain.
• Raised-floor air distribution to improve conditioned air distribution.
• Water-saving aerators on all sinks.
• Occupancy sensors to reduce unnecessary lighting.

Due to these energy-saving measures at their corporate headquarters, Johnson Financial has realized energy savings of roughly 22% when comparing 2009 usage to their 2019 pre-COVID usage. These projects also saved them approximately $130,000 in electric costs last year when compared to 2009 figures.

Sustainable building materials are used whenever possible. The Johnson Building was designed by William McDonough, Time magazine’s 1999 “Hero for the Planet” for his work on sustainable development. The unique construction features natural materials such as rough-cut limestone, 19th century lumber salvaged from the bottom of Lake Superior, as well as a green roof on its client parking ramp.

Johnson Financial Group continues to evaluate changing conditions and technologies, seeking suitable applications for all their locations to continue to foster an energy-savings strategy for today and future generations.

As seen on we-energies.com