Commercial, Demand Management, Energy Efficiency, Commercial, Distributed Generation, Solar - March 29, 2017
Insurance group takes on solar, retrocommissioning
The country's 13th largest property/casualty insurance group, American Family Insurance, recently announced plans to install rooftop solar panels at its headquarters in Madison, Wisc., along with a series of companywide energy efficiency initiatives.
American Family Insurance said March 24 that the nearly 4,500 solar panels being installed at its headquarters is expected to be the largest single rooftop solar installation in Wisconsin to-date.
The system will use a "delta wing" (east/west orientation) solar panel configuration, which creates a chevron-like pattern that maximizes solar density on a flat roof, without the need for a southern-facing exposure, according to the company's news release. The system is expected to generate about 1.26 million kWh of power per year, offsetting 6% to 9% of the building's electric use and saving the company about $191,000 annually.
The solar panel installation is only the latest in a number of sustainability projects American Family Insurance has implemented in its dedication to environmental stewardship and social responsibility. Other energy-related initiatives include:
- High-efficiency lighting installations at all offices, including the integration of LED in select locations.
- Retrocommissioning efforts at multiple buildings, representing a full assessment and recalibration of the HVAC controls and settings.
- Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design, or LEED, registration at its Eden Prairie, Minn., and East Region building in Madison.
"American Family Insurance has made a commitment to sustainability by implementing projects and initiatives that protect our environment and contribute to the well-being of our communities," facilities operations director Dan Rosetta said in a statement. "Conserving energy and utilizing renewable energy reaffirms our commitment to the environment while also reducing our operating costs, and that means we can better meet the needs of our customers."
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