Consumers Energy Provides Over $10 Million in Rebates to Michigan Schools for Energy Efficiency Upgrades

Kalamazoo County School is 500th to Receive ‘Buy Michigan’ Incentive

WASHINGTON, D.C. – December 04, 2015 – (RealEstateRama) — Consumers Energy announced today that a Kalamazoo County elementary school is the 500th participant in its Buy Michigan energy efficiency program, joining other schools that have received over $10 million in cost-saving rebates from the energy provider since 2009.

“As part of our commitment to Michigan, we have worked with 75 percent of all school districts that we serve to lower their costs through energy efficiency measures,” said Garrick Rochow, Consumers Energy’s vice president and chief customer officer. “These schools have received over $10 million in energy efficiency rebates. In addition, measures these schools have installed will save them more than $121 million on their energy bills over the measures’ lifetime.”

The Parchment School District, which operates North Elementary School, has used energy efficiency incentives to reduce costs during a district-wide upgrade to its buildings. Lighting upgrades were performed using a Michigan manufacturer, which qualified the school district to receive additional Buy Michigan incentives.

The Buy Michigan program is an incentive for schools and businesses that take part in and receive energy efficiency rebates through Consumers Energy. The Buy Michigan program offers a current incentive bonus of 15 percent for energy efficient equipment that is manufactured in Michigan, and that bonus will increase to 20 percent starting next year.

Consumers Energy has paid over $3.4 million in incentives to business customers for Buy Michigan projects since the program started in late 2012. Learn more about the Buy Michigan program at www.ConsumersEnergy.com/mybusiness and click on “Specialty Programs.”

“As a Michigan company, we are committed to supporting our state by providing energy reliably and affordably – and putting Michigan residents to work,” Rochow said. “We are excited to find ways to promote Michigan that build on our company’s plans to spend $5 billion with Michigan businesses in the next five years.”

Consumers Energy, Michigan’s largest utility, is the principal subsidiary of CMS Energy (NYSE: CMS), providing natural gas and electricity to 6.6 million of the state’s 10 million residents in all 68 Lower Peninsula counties.

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IMPACT ON SCHOOLS: Consumers Energy has worked with 75 percent of all schools in its service territory to lower costs through energy efficiency. Its Buy Michigan energy efficiency incentives are one example.

Seventeen districts have received Buy Michigan incentives:

Onsted Community Schools
Columbia Central Schools
Birch Run Schools
Grant Public Schools
Chesaning Union Schools
St. Lorenz Church & School
Gull Lake Schools
Roscommon Area Schools
Carrollton Public Schools
Westwood Heights School District
Swan Valley School District
Byron Center Public Schools
Mount Pleasant Public Schools
West Branch Rose City Schools
Ovid-Elsie Area Schools
Oakridge Public Schools
Parchment School Distric

Media Contacts: Brian Wheeler, 517-788-2394, or Dan Bishop, 517-788-2395
For more information about Consumers Energy, go to www.ConsumersEnergy.com.