Our November Featured Member of the Month is Michaels Energy! Michaels Energy is a veteran-owned energy consulting firm that has existed for nearly 40 years to minimize waste and maximize value.

What They Do

They provide energy, load management, research, and evaluation solutions for utilities, commercial and industrial facilities, and federal, state, and local governments across the United States.

From decarbonization road mapping, strategic energy management, non-wire/pipe alternative studies, rebate processing, and more – their energy and engineering gurus optimize buildings and processes to maximize energy savings and client profits, minimize utility grid stress and carbon footprints, and keep this big, beautiful planet in tip-top-shape.

Their Focus

Gone are the days of debating whether or not to decarbonize. The world needs it, period. The question is HOW to do it. Providing affordable, reliable, and clean energy is a balancing act that, if done correctly, can (literally) save lives across the globe.

In many regions, the energy transition is at risk of failing as they see peak loads increasing, electricity prices going up, and reliability going down because of the intermittent nature of renewable energy. Michaels Energy is on a mission to deploy flexible load shifting and energy efficiency technologies that enable decarbonization without compromising comfort, safety, or affordability – because they shouldn’t have to choose.

Their energy gurus have over two decades of experience with energy efficiency programs and have provided analysis and services across every industry imaginable. In Virginia, they are currently delivering demand-side management (DSM) programs for Dominion Energy, in partnership with Honeywell. They provide technical support for the following programs:

• Non-Residential Compressed Air Systems Program: Ths program offers incentives for improving the efficiency of customers’ compressed air systems including installing efficient equipment and fixing air leaks.
• Office and Building Optimization: This program offers incentives for identifying efficiency opportunities and optimizing customers’ HVAC control systems through re-commissioning.
• Building Automation: In this program, they assist building owners and controls contractors with code-compliant or code-exceeding controls sequences and incentives for building energy management system replacement projects. .
• Non-Residential New Construction: This program provides design recommendations and rebates to qualifying facility owners for installing energy efficient measures in new construction buildings, additions, or extensive renovation projects.
• Customer Engagement: In this program, they assist customers with their energy efficiency goals by providing a no-cost facility assessment, ongoing support from their experienced engineers, and access to an online building engagement portal which provides guidance, tools, and tracking capabilities for improvements. This program is ideal for building stakeholders who have an interest in being more energy efficient but need some help getting started.
• Agricultural: This program provides prescriptive-type rebates that are tailored to customers in the agricultural sector including indoor agriculture lighting, Greenhouse LEDs, Ventilation and Circulation fans, VFDs and Automatic Milker Take-offs.
• Data Center Programs: With this program, they provide an energy consultation of building owners’ data server rooms with special rebates for installing recommended efficiency measures.

Businesses are never a one-size-fits-all; each have their own challenges and nuances that make it unique. That’s why their energy programs are never out-of-the-box; they customize their programs to maximize value for every customer, every time.

Additional Highlights

• Michaels Energy was awarded a spot on the Inc 5000 list as one of the fastest-growing private companies in the United States, due to their 103% organic growth. They’ve expanded their amazing team of energy fanatics in a very intentional way – only bringing on folks who are passionate about what they do, are committed to excellence, and live their core values. This careful expansion has allowed us to help minimize waste and maximize value for even more utilities and businesses across the country.
• Their energy efficiency programs have made major impacts on reducing energy and increasing efficiency for businesses; they’ve saved roughly 3,700 GWh of energy which is equivalent to 2.6 million metric tons of carbon dioxide. That’s like preventing 2.9 billion pounds of coal from being burned or planting 43.3 million trees.
• Michaels Energy is headquartered in La Crosse, WI with additional office locations in Minnesota, Iowa, Colorado, Illinois, and Virginia. In addition to their physical locations, they have staff members located throughout the country from California, North Carolina, Kansas, Michigan, New York, Texas, and everywhere in between.
• Their newest service offering, Thermal Energy Storage Systems (TESS), is helping businesses and utilities across the country. TESS is a refrigeration battery made up of individually sealed cells that are filled with environmentally friendly phase change material (a solution that changes between liquid and solid). Batteries are charged when renewable energy production is high (during the day for solar and night for wind, for example) – taking strain off the grid and reducing energy costs for building owners. Learn more at MichaelsEnergy.com/TEC.