By Times staff
MONROE - Only one hotel in Wisconsin is Energy Star-certified by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency - Super 8 on Wisconsin 69 South in Monroe.
The motel joins 527 other Energy Star buildings in the state, of which 318 are K-12 schools, 84 are retail stores and 84 are offices.
Buildings must score above 75 out of 100 possible points to qualify. But Super 8 soared above the qualifications, scoring 95 points on its first certification submission.
Of the total 19,000 Energy Star buildings in the U.S., the EPA has certified 460 hotels and motels since 2002. Only 31 were certified or recertified in 2012. Hotels are one of the hardest types of buildings to reach Energy Star status, according to Art Bartsch, who owns the motel with his wife Barbara.
Energy Star is a joint program of the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency and the U.S. Department of Energy. Verified by independently licensed professional engineers or registered architects, Energy Star-certified buildings, through the use of energy efficient products and practices, use 35 percent less energy and are responsible for 35 percent fewer greenhouse gas emissions than average buildings.
According to Bartsch, Monroe's Super 8 is using 39 percent less energy than average for a similar hotel. That translates to a savings about $20,000 to $22,000 on energy bills, Bartsch said.
Bartsch has been outfitting the Super 8 with energy efficiency practices and products since 1994. He started first with "making a commitment," he said, and buying more expensive but more efficient room heating and air conditioning units. The hotel now has energy efficient "everything," he said, from solar panels to motion-senor light switches, and it even recaptures heat from the swimming pool and exhausted air.
The motel was also certified "Green" by Travel Green Wisconsin and serves as a demonstration site for Midwest Renewable Energy Association.
MONROE - Only one hotel in Wisconsin is Energy Star-certified by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency - Super 8 on Wisconsin 69 South in Monroe.
The motel joins 527 other Energy Star buildings in the state, of which 318 are K-12 schools, 84 are retail stores and 84 are offices.
Buildings must score above 75 out of 100 possible points to qualify. But Super 8 soared above the qualifications, scoring 95 points on its first certification submission.
Of the total 19,000 Energy Star buildings in the U.S., the EPA has certified 460 hotels and motels since 2002. Only 31 were certified or recertified in 2012. Hotels are one of the hardest types of buildings to reach Energy Star status, according to Art Bartsch, who owns the motel with his wife Barbara.
Energy Star is a joint program of the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency and the U.S. Department of Energy. Verified by independently licensed professional engineers or registered architects, Energy Star-certified buildings, through the use of energy efficient products and practices, use 35 percent less energy and are responsible for 35 percent fewer greenhouse gas emissions than average buildings.
According to Bartsch, Monroe's Super 8 is using 39 percent less energy than average for a similar hotel. That translates to a savings about $20,000 to $22,000 on energy bills, Bartsch said.
Bartsch has been outfitting the Super 8 with energy efficiency practices and products since 1994. He started first with "making a commitment," he said, and buying more expensive but more efficient room heating and air conditioning units. The hotel now has energy efficient "everything," he said, from solar panels to motion-senor light switches, and it even recaptures heat from the swimming pool and exhausted air.
The motel was also certified "Green" by Travel Green Wisconsin and serves as a demonstration site for Midwest Renewable Energy Association.