March 20, 2014 | By Barbara Vergetis Lundin

Consumers Energy has its fingers in multiple pots when it comes to energy efficiency -- both with the Battle of the Buildings and with investments in renewable energy.

Credit: Wikimedia Commons

Consumers Energy is encouraging businesses from the Indiana line to the Upper Peninsula to save energy by sponsoring the West Michigan Battle of the Buildings, a friendly competition that will run through the rest of this year.

"The Battle of the Buildings is a natural extension of Consumers Energy's work every day to help commercial businesses to reduce their energy usage," said Garrick Rochow, vice president of customer operations and quality for Consumers Energy. "Already, this competition has drawn considerable interest, with businesses representing more than 8 million square feet of space pledging to compete."

Consumers Energy is also developing renewable energy supplies through a pilot program in which it will buy electricity produced by anaerobic digesters -- which generate electricity from biodegradable material -- for agricultural operations, wastewater treatment facilities, and food processors. Through this program, Consumers Energy expects to buy 2.4 MW of electric capacity.

"Michigan residents expect us to generate power in new ways to reflect changes in technology," said Timothy Sparks, Consumers Energy's vice president of energy supply operations. "Our development of this pilot program will help us see how well we can develop energy from activity on our state's farms and other facilities."

Consumers Energy customers have saved more than $575 million since 2009.

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