Gov. Tony Evers, Energy Efficiency Champions Honored as FOCUS ON ENERGY® Marks 25 Years

MADISON, Wis., Sept. 29, 2026 /PRNewswire/ -- Focus on Energy marked 25 years of helping Wisconsin residents and businesses save energy and money by recognizing key Energy Efficiency Champions today at an award ceremony at the Wisconsin State Capitol. Gov. Tony Evers commended the honorees who have helped make Wisconsin homes more comfortable, schools more efficient, businesses stronger and manufacturing operations better positioned for the future. Each represents a lasting commitment to saving energy and money while improving the places where Wisconsinites live, learn and work.

Public Service Commission Chairperson Summer Strand presented Gov. Tony Evers with an Energy Efficiency Champion Award in recognition of his support for the Focus on Energy program as governor. Through his annual Energy Efficiency Day proclamations, Evers has encouraged Wisconsin residents and businesses to take advantage of opportunities to save energy and money. His administration's Clean Energy Plan calls for expanding Focus on Energy's work, helping more Wisconsinites make improvements that lower costs and reduce energy waste.

"Energy efficiency does not always come with a big ribbon cutting. A better pump may be deep inside a paper mill, better insulation may be tucked inside a wall, and a lighting upgrade may simply make it easier for a student to read a page of music during Band practice. But the results are noticeable: a home that feels warmer in January, a school with brighter classrooms, a business with lower costs, and equipment that runs the way it should," said Gov. Evers. "For 25 years, Focus on Energy has helped Wisconsinites turn good ideas into real savings, and these four Champions show the difference that commitment can make in communities across our state." 

Gov. Evers recognized the Energy Efficiency Champions including:

• School District of La Crosse has created more comfortable classrooms for students while reducing energy costs and protecting taxpayer dollars. Since 2006, the School District has avoided more than $10 million in energy costs.
  
  
• On Site Performance Testing is a family-owned business based in Chippewa Falls, Wis., that has helped more than 12,000 Wisconsin homeowners understand and improve the comfort, safety, and energy performance of their homes.
  
  
• David Leeder has spent 40 years advancing energy efficiency in the Wisconsin paper industry. Through more than 60 energy-saving projects, Leeder helped mills reduce energy use and operating costs while sharing knowledge with the people who will carry that work forward.
  
  
• Kwik Trip has made energy efficiency part of how it designs, builds, and runs its facilities. In nearly two decades, the company has completed more than 1,000 energy efficiency projects. Solar installations, EV charging infrastructure, and other emerging technologies in new stores are helping position the company for the future.

"For a quarter century, Focus on Energy has fostered collaborative partnerships with utilities, businesses, communities, and energy experts in furtherance of its mission to empower people in Wisconsin to make smart energy decisions with enduring economic benefits," said Public Service Commission of Wisconsin Chairperson Summer Strand. "The four energy efficiency Champions recognized today illustrate how and why this program works. The awardees identified energy saving opportunities, took action to implement their ideas and solutions, and perhaps most importantly, paid it forward so others can learn from their experiences and build on their successes."

The four Champions represent different industries and communities, but their stories share a common thread. Energy efficiency became part of how they work, not a single project or one-time investment.

"Twenty-five years of Focus on Energy is the work of many hands: the utilities that fund the program, the Trade Allies and partners who deliver it, and the customers who say yes to better ways to use energy," said Erin Soman, Focus on Energy managing director. "These four Champions said 'yes' and found ways to make energy efficiency part of their everyday operations."

About Focus on Energy 
Focus on Energy is Wisconsin's statewide energy efficiency and renewable resource program funded by the state's investor-owned energy utilities and participating municipal and electric cooperative utilities. Focus on Energy works with eligible Wisconsin residents and businesses to install cost-effective energy efficiency and renewable energy products. Focus on Energy information, resources, and financial incentives help to implement projects that otherwise would not be completed. For more information call 800.762.7077 or visit focusonenergy.com.

Download Images of the Energy Efficiency Champions

SOURCE Focus on Energy