The historic renovation has begun at 1215 Ludington Street in Escanaba, which will house the home office of Michigan GREEN when completed. The 100-year old structure, to be known as the Michigan GREEN Building, has undergone façade repairs to make it weathertight, replacement of first floor windows and doors, and a new coat of paint utilizing a color scheme reflecting the historic era of the building. The façade renovation was made possible, in part, through a $10,000 grant provided by the Escanaba Downtown Development Authority.
While the building will be restored to its historic grandeur and luster both inside and out, it will also be energy efficient in keeping with the mission set forth by Michigan GREEN (the Michigan Group for a Renewable Energy Efficient Nation). The nonprofit corporation was formed to advance the implementation of energy efficient and renewable energy technologies. So naturally, all of the upgrades to the building -- windows, doors, lighting, heating systems and controls, domestic hot water, etc. -- will utilize high efficiency technologies. The goal is to qualify the renovated facility for ENERGY STAR® status.
The ground floor is being renovated first. The new window and door wall on the front of the building reaches from floor to ceiling covering a much larger area than the old glass. Five layers were removed to get to the original ceiling, which will be finished in the ornate tin-type style of the period. The new, larger glass area floods the space with natural light which will reduce the amount of high efficiency lighting necessary to illuminate the area. Michigan GREEN plans to utilize the first floor to build energy kits, for which the nonprofit recently received a $500,000 grant from the Michigan Public Service Commission. The kits contain items like compact fluorescent lamps, water-saving showerheads and faucet aerators, and LED nightlights, which will be given to 5,000 low income renters statewide. The kits will save over $100 annually per apartment.
The second floor will be completed in the spring and will include new offices for Michigan GREEN, a conference room and two apartments.
Michigan GREEN members include energy efficiencyand renewable energy professionals -- consultants,engineers, contractors, manufacturers – as well asschools, colleges, universities, nonprofit organizationsand businesses in agreement with their mission ofadvancing the implementation of energy efficient andrenewable energy technologies. For more information:
www.michigangreen.org
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