State Publications Search Results - Michigan Case Studies

DOE's State Energy Program (SEP) lists the following case studies that deal in some depth about successful renewable energy and energy efficiency projects in Michigan. Altogether SEP lists hundreds of these state case studies, which are published by DOE or a state agency and are part of SEP's state publications database. Some of the following documents are available as Adobe Acrobat PDFs. Download Adobe Reader.

• A Building Whose Time Has Come: Zeeland West High School
  (PDF 1.05 MB)
  This case study is published by the Michigan Division of Labor and Economic Growth, 4 pp.; April, 2005.
• Alpena General Hospital Energy Efficiency Project
  (PDF 67 KB)
  This case study is published by the Michigan Division of Labor and Economic Growth, 1 pp.; June, 2005.
• American Center Building
  The Michigan Energy Office published this case study about The American Center Building, a 24-story building with 660,000 square feet of floor space. An update project was suggested and provided by the Trane Company, which yielded a 38% energy savings each month, and a guaranteed energy savings of $500,000 annually. The upgrades also led to a $120,000 annual reduction in operation costs.
• Ann Arbor City Hall Natural Gas Fired Chiller
  The Michigan Energy Office published this case study about how electrical costs have decreased every year since 1992 when the Ann Arbor City Hall replaced its electric powered chiller with a new gas powered chiller to provide air conditioning for the 90,000 sq ft building; 1996.
• Bay de Noc Community College Light Pipe Project
  The Michigan Energy Office published this case study. The Bay de Noc Community College installed fourteen light pipes in its Extension Center Building in July 1996 as part of the Energy Office's light pipe pilot program. The objective was to promote new energy efficient technologies in commercial applications.
• Cherry Capital Cycling Club Green Commuting Project
  The Michigan Energy Office published this case study. The Cherry Capital Cycling Club in Traverse City was awarded a Community Energy Project Grant in 1998. The Club's Transportation Alternatives Section planned a Bike to Work Week, which included various community events and an educational display; 1998.
• Energy Smart Pools Program — Chesaning Union Middle School
  The Energy Office of the Michigan Department of Consumer & Industry Services published this case study. As part of Chesaning Union Schools' ongoing energy conservation efforts, they looked to reduce pool energy losses. A solar bubble cover system was purchased for the middle school's indoor pool and eight months after installation, the pool's energy costs have been cut in half.
• Ferro Corporation: Industrial Energy Assessment Identifies $210,000 in Savings Opportunities for Glaze and Coatings Manufacturer
  (PDF 122 KB)
  DOE's Industrial Technologies Program publishes this fact sheet as part of its industrial assessment series for the plastics industry; DOE/GO-102005-2163; 2 pp.; September, 2005.
• Kearsley Community Schools See Bright Energy Future
  (PDF 74 KB)
  This case study is published by the Michigan Division of Labor and Economic Growth, 1 pp.; June, 2005.
• Kearsley Schools See Bright Energy Future
  The State of Michigan Energy Office published this case study about implementing an energy efficiency project under the School & Local Government Energy Initiative.
• Lake Superior State University Obtaining ENERGY STAR® Status
  (PDF 120 KB)
  This case study is published by the Michigan Division of Labor and Economic Growth, 2 pp.; June, 2005.
• Metaldyne: Plant-Wide Assessment at Royal Oak Finds Opportunities to Improve Manufacturing Efficiency, Reduce Energy Use, and Achieve Significant Cost Savings
  (PDF 675 KB)
  DOE's Industrial Technologies Program publishes this plant-wide assessment case study as parts of its Forging Best Practices series; 4 pp.; May, 2005.
• Michigan Federal Facilities Saving Energy Projects
  (PDF 87 KB)
  This case study is published by the Michigan Division of Labor and Economic Growth, 2 pp.; June, 2005.
• Michigan Magnetics — Energy Conservation Approaches for an Older Building
  The Michigan Energy Office published this case study about Michigan Magnetics, a magnetic tape head design and manufacturing facility in Vermontville, Michigan, who successfully addressed energy use and energy efficiency in their building.
• Mow with Less — Solar Charging Mower Demonstration
  (PDF 197 KB)
  The Mow With Less Program educates residents to the possible alternatives to mowing conventional turf lawns with fossil fuel power mowers that emit both air and noise pollution; 3 pp; December, 2002.
• N-K Manufacturing Technologies: Industrial Energy Assessment Yields Savings of More than $27,000 Per Year for Molded Plastics Company
  (PDF 122 KB)
  DOE's Industrial Technologies Program publishes this fact sheet as part of its industrial assessment series for the plastics industry; DOE/GO-102005-2166; 2 pp.; September, 2005.
• Performance Contracting in State of Michigan Facilities: A Case Study Of the MI Career & Technical Institute and MI School for the Deaf and Blind
  (PDF 687 KB)
  This case study is published by the Michigan Division of Labor and Economic Growth, 4 pp.; April, 2005.
• Saving Energy at Michigan's Federal Facilities
  The State of Michigan Energy Office published this case study by the State of Michigan & Federal Energy Management Program (MI-FEMP) Energy Initiative. Energy efficiency retrofits at the Levin U.S. Courthouse were installed at a cost of $115,167 with annual savings of $26,757, providing a payback of 4.3 years.
• Solar Hot Water System at St. Elizabeth's Catholic Church
  St. Elizabeth Catholic Church in Wyandotte received a $4,990 Community Energy Project Grant in October 2001 to demonstrate a solar hot water system.
• Solar Water Pumping
  The Michigan Energy Office published this case study about a homeowner who built a fishing pond on his land using a "Slow Pump," a 24v pump that only consumes 54 watts of power, yielding 4.5 gallons per minute of water.
• St. Charles Church and School
  The Michigan Energy Office published this case study about St. Charles Church and School, a church and school in one building. Ground source cooling was installed for the church only. The school has no cooling, but the heat for both the school and church is provided by the church's hot water boiler.
• Terwilliger Five-Star Home and Health House
  The Michigan Energy Office published this case study about a home that is one of five residences that received a Five Star Home Grant from the Energy Office in 1997. Not only is this home energy efficient, it is a showcase of healthy choices for new construction. The American Lung Association, in partnership with Terwilliger Homes and numerous other donors, utilized the "Health House" as a demonstration project of features that can be implemented to improve indoor air quality and respiratory health.
• The Kindred House
  The Michigan Energy Office published this case study about a home that is one of five residences that received a Five Star Home Grant from the Energy Office in 1998. Not only is this home energy efficient, it is an example of passive solar design strategies, making maximum use of the southern exposure with large windows located in the main living areas. This system reduces the heating and cooling loads of the home. The main source of space heating for the home is provided by a gas-fired hot water heater which also supplies the domestic hot water.
• The READ Project — Resource Efficient and Affordable Dwelling
  The Michigan Energy Office published this case study about the Resource Efficient and Affordable Dwelling (READ) house in East Lansing which was constructed with the goals of strengthening the understanding of highly energy-efficient building technology and demonstrating its applicability and economic availability to the community-at-large.
• Tillers International Solar and Wind Demonstration Project
  The Michigan Energy Office published this case study about Tillers International, a company who as part of its mission is educating people about sustainable agriculture with a focus on animal powered farming techniques and incorporating modern technology.
• Western Michigan University Heat Recovery System
  (PDF 115 KB)
  This case study is published by the Michigan Division of Labor and Economic Growth, 1 pp.; June, 2005.
• Zeeland West High School — A Building Whose Time has Come
  (PDF 1.07 MB)
  The Michigan Energy Office publishes this case study as part of its series on high-performance schools; 4 pp.; October, 2002.