WARM Case Studies

  • Video Case Studies - These short videos highlight the work that local governments throughout Southeast Michigan are doing to save money and improve the quality of life in their communities.
  • EECBG Case Study 1: Small Governments - Yale, MI is illustrative of the special challenges that face small governments when seeking and implementing large grant programs. This case study discusses challenges and lessons learned.
  • EECBG Case Study 2: Single Stream Recycling - The City of Huntington Woods is piloting a new form of recycling for its residents, where all recyclables are put into one bin and sorted at a central facility that promises increased participation and more money for city coffers.
  • EECBG Case Study 3: Workforce Development - The City of Warren used its EECBG grant to accomplish two seemingly disparate goals: to retrain its workforce in new green technology and to install an energy saving living green roof on City Hall.
  • EECBG Case Study 4: Lighting Retrofits - The City of Lathrup Village demonstrates the excellent savings and improved lighting quality possible through commercial scale lighting retrofits.
  • EECBG Case Study 5: Joint Purchasing - The Southeast Michigan Regional Energy Office facilitated joint purchasing of equipment and other supplies to achieve excellent savings for local governments.
  • EECBG Case Study 6: Historic Buildings - Ray Township demonstrates the distinct challenges and opportunities of historic buildings through their energy efficient retrofit of their 1880's historic schoolhouse turned library.
  • EECBG Case Study 7: Building Envelope Retrofit - The City of Madison Heights retrofitted the façade on its City Hall and achieved multiple goals: improved aesthetic appearance, greater worker comfort, and a reduced energy bill.
  • EECBG Case Study 9: LED Street Lights - The City of Lincoln Park, MI demonstrates through their LED Street Light retrofit that partnering with utilities can save energy, operating costs, and maintenance costs, leaving more money for vital city operations.
  • EECBG Case Study 10: Resident Education - The City of Lathrup Village demonstrates that it is not enough to just retrofit its own facilities. Sharing knowledge with residents of how to save money at home improves the bottom line for all parties involved.

Additional Case Studies

  • Historic Buildings Energy Efficiency - A Guide for Historic District Commissions on Energy Efficiency, Renewable Energy and Historic Preservation, was published by Clean Air, Cool Planet.
  • Affordable Zero Energy - is an in depth case study and technical guide on how to build an affordable, zero energy home, completed by National Renewable Energy Laboratory and Habitat for Humanity. A shorter version is also available.
    • It outlines programmatic strategies to encourage energy efficiency and historic preservation for our nation’s historic building stock. The Guide also outlines various case studies of these best practices.
  • Wastewater Efficiency Case Studies - from the CEE National Municipal Water and Wastewater Facility Initiative, which endeavors to increase the demand for energy efficiency in water and wastewater treatment and distribution. The initiative encourages suppliers of products and services to adopt energy efficiency as a standard industry practice.
  • Best Practices REEEP - a Compendium of Best Practices, describes more than 20 practices and includes examples of their effective implementation in states or cities. Policies, financing mechanisms, and other initiatives are highlighted for their success in creating favorable market conditions for energy efficiency and renewable energy, as well as for their replicability, relative ease of implementation, measured energy savings, ability to offset the need for conventional energy, cost effectiveness, greenhouse gas emissions reduction, and job creation.
  • Community EECBG Report Final - produced by Shepherd Advisors, tracks nine Michigan EECBG entitlement grant communities to assess the effectiveness of their efficiency strategies and implementation. Since the initial distribution of EECBG funds, communities have learned valuable lessons and made significant progress with their programs. Based on the interviews, we were able to characterize common success factors and challenges, and make recommendations that can help any community move forward with energy efficiency or broader sustainability planning at any stage.
  • Building Green for the Future - produced by the University of Michigan, compiles a number of green building case studies in different sectors from across the state, demonstrating how different organizations and agencies plan, design, and benefit from green buildings.