The Governor’s Energy Excellence Awards honors Michigan organizations and individuals for outstanding achievement in reducing energy waste. This year, MECA EO Collaborative members received awards for Best Project – Public for Ewen Trout Creek School District (Ontonagon) and Best Project – Agriculture for Friske Orchards (Great Lakes Energy).

Ewen Trout Creek is one of Michigan’s most rural school districts with only 205 students. Like many rural schools, their school building was deteriorating and the school administration was forced to divert scarce funds from education towards fixing the school. In 2015, voters approved a new $4.9 million bond referendum and the necessary upgrades, in conjunction with Ontonagon and MECA’s EO program, began. Ewen Trout schools installed new high-efficiency boilers, water heaters, and fan coil units as well as a new chiller and high-efficiency lighting. The project is estimated to save 33,500 Kwh of electricity on an annual basis.

Friske Orchards, south of Charlevoix, is known statewide for its apple cider and the wide array of fruits and vegetables grown on site. When owner Richard Friske noticed that his workers’ mobile homes needed considerable work, he decided to build new bunkhouses for his many seasonal workers. The new, all electric, housing units have Energy Star appliances and lighting, new air source heat pumps, insulation, and receive a good deal of their electricity from new solar panels. Friske Orchards expects to save approximately 44,000 Kwh of electricity per year.

A special “thank you” to Great Lakes and Ontonagon for their efforts, along with MECA EO Director Art Thayer and WECC for their direction and support in advancing the applications from both co-ops.