Compact fluorescent lamps (CFLs) help conserve natural resources like coal and gas by using far less electricity than common incandescent bulbs. CFLs last longer, too. Unfortunately, some good things do end and your CFL will eventually burn out.

Because CFL's and other fluorescent lamps contain a small amount of mercury and screw-in type CFL's have electronic components, the US Environmental Protection Agency recommends that the lamps be properly recycled.
Your community-owned utility, Stoughton Utilities, has an easy way for you to do this while instantly saving money on a replacement CFL.

Don't throw that dark CFL in the trash can. Take it along with the completed coupon to Asleson's True Value or Stoughton Lumber - Ace Hardware in Stoughton. Present your CFL's and the coupon to the sales clerk and receive $1 off for each new CFL you purchase as a replacement for each one you brought in for recycling. Replacement bulbs must be ENERGY STAR qualified. Stoughton Utilities will collect these old CFL's and see that they are properly recycled.

For more information, please contact us.

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Heating and air conditioning contractors have partnered with Focus on Energy to help Wisconsin consumers make informed choices about heating and air conditioning equipment purchases. The Efficient Heating & Cooling Program offers Cash-Back Rewards on furnaces, central air conditioners and boilers. The Program focuses rewards on a limited list of energy efficient equipment. These rewards are available to eligible consumers who purchase eligible equipment from participating contractors.

For more information, please visit Focus on Energy.

Products that have earned the ENERGY STAR have the highest rating a product can earn for energy efficiency (translation: They're cheaper to use!). By using less energy, it reduces pollution and is better for the environment. The average home spends about $1,900 on energy costs every year. Change to appliances that have earned the ENERGY STAR, and you can save $80 a year in energy costs, while saving the environment.

Click here for a list of available cash rewards.

For more information, on ENERGY STAR® qualified appliances, please visit Focus on Energy.

Through its GreenMax Home program, WPPI Energy solicits proposals from those interested in building and/or living in a comfortable, environmentally responsible home — a home that uses reliable, sustainable energy systems.

By assisting customers of its member municipal electric utilities to design and build a GreenMax home, WPPI Energy is supporting the design and lifestyle choices that move a home from "highly efficient" to "net zero."

For more information, please visit www.GreenMaxHome.com.

Buying your home was a big investment. Home Performance with ENERGY STAR® helps you care for that investment by making energy efficiency improvements that save you money and increase the comfort, safety, durability and value of your home.

The first step is to schedule an in-home evaluation. Expert consultants will conduct a thorough inspection of all the systems in your home and identify problems such as air leaks and drafts, moisture, cold spots and more. You'll receive a written report of the findings and a list of recommended solutions.

For more information, please visit Focus on Energy.

Lighting accounts for about 20 percent of the average home's electric bill. Every time someone flips a light switch to turn on a light, coal is being burned at a power plant to produce electricity, and as it is burned it releases carbon dioxide (CO2), mercury and other toxins. The higher the bulb wattage, the more electricity needed to make it burn bright, and of course the more electricity used means higher energy costs for you.

ENERGY STAR qualified lighting provides bright, warm light but uses about 75% less energy than standard lighting, produce 75 percent less heat, and lasts up to 10 times longer.

Click here for a list of available cash rewards.

For more information on ENERGY STAR qualified lighting, please visit Focus on Energy.

Wisconsin's Focus on Energy program offers services for consultants and builders participating in the Wisconsin ENERGY STAR® Homes Program including Wisconsin ENERGY STAR Homes paperwork, standards and guidelines, cooperative advertising information, site visits, and more.

For more information, please visit Focus on Energy.

Install a qualifying renewable energy system and you may be eligible for a grants and rebates to help offset your upfront costs. Wisconsin Focus on Energy offers financial incentives to help Wisconsin homes, farms and businesses take advantage of clean, green, renewable energy. Various incentives can cover anything from site evaluations to system purchases and installation.

The following renewable energy technologies qualify for rebates or financing:

• Solar domestic hot water systems
  
• Solar electric (photovoltaic) systems
  
• Small-scale wind generators

If you are not sure if a renewable system is right for your home, we can help you get a professional opinion. Site assessments performed by certified site assessors qualify for a rebate of 75% of the assessment fee (maximum of $375).

For more information on renewable energy customer incentives, please visit Focus on Energy.

Are you stuck with older, inefficient appliances? Did you know they’re costing you extra money on your energy bills? We think it’s time to break free. When you you're ready to get rid of your old refrigerators, freezers, dehumidifiers and room air conditioners that are still in working order, Stoughton Utilities will arrange for, and cover the costs of pick-up, haul-away and responsible recycling.

Useful parts will be recycled and dangerous PCBs and ozone-damaging CFCs will be recovered, so you can get rid of those unwanted appliances and be friendly to the environment at the same time. Best of all, the newer models you replace them with will cost you less to operate. That means the monetary savings will go on and on.

Scheduling an appliance pick-up is fast and easy. To start saving money on your energy bills simply call the appliance turn-in center's toll free number at (800) 922-3744 to schedule a pickup. Customers may also sign up for appliance pickups online at ARCA recycling.

For more information on this program, please contact us.

Planting trees can save money and energy in heating and cooling. Shade trees on the south and west sides of your home make hot summers cooler and let in warming sunlight when the leaves are gone in winter. Trees are also a natural air filter, removing dust and greenhouse gases such as carbon dioxide, while adding oxygen.

Stoughton Utilities offers cash incentives for planting shade trees to conserve energy. You may be eligible for up to $50 per qualifying tree if you follow our eligibility guidelines.

Residential customers of Stoughton Utilities can apply for an incentive to plant qualified shade trees in locations that will reduce their air conditioning costs. Each qualified tree receives an incentive of 50% of the purchase price, up to $50 per tree, and each customer can apply for incentives on up to three trees.

Shade trees must meet the following criteria:

• Any of the following are approved:
  • Maple (freeman, norway, red, sugar, black, silver)
  • Common Hackberry
  • American Beech
  • Sentry Gingko, Honeylocust
  • Kentucky Coffeetree
  • Sycamore
  • Oak (white, swamp white, pin, red)
  • Linden (american, littleleaf, redmond)
  • Hybrid Elm
  • Birch (river, paper, whitespire)
  • American Yellowwood
  • Maco Amur Corktree


• Must be nursery grade stock.


• Must have the potential to attain a height of at least 30 feet when mature.


• Must have a caliper of at least 1 1/4 inches at time of planting.


• Must be planted in a location that provides significant shading of an air conditioning unit or the south, southwest or west exposure of a home upon tree maturity. Stoughton Utilities recommends planting shade tree(s) approximately 25 to 35 feet away from the house to be shaded.


• Must be located away from underground and overhead utility lines.


• Applicant must call Digger's Hotline at 811 prior to planting tree(s). The hotline ID number must be reported on the application.

Please contact us for additional information.

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