Rapid community growth, tripling in population over the past 50 years, prompted Sun Prairie Utilities (SPU) to build a new facility to better serve its customers. The two-story, 82,250-square-foot office and warehouse replaces a 50-year-old, 19,000-square-foot facility and offsite storage. Designed through an integrative process with the help of Kueny Architects, LLC, the building centralizes services, enhances security, improves energy efficiency, and supports reliable operations for at least the next 20 years. The facility includes expanded vehicle maintenance and storage, modern workspaces, and an improved customer experience with a drive-up window and after-hours drop box. Office spaces feature customer service areas, community meeting rooms, training spaces, and employee wellness amenities. The landscaped site includes bike storage, EV charging, and outdoor employee areas, demonstrating SPU’s commitment to sustainability, innovation, and community well-being.
Strategies and Results
Seeking LEED v4 BD+C Gold certification, SPU aimed to demonstrate accountability to customers while leveraging Wisconsin’s Focus on Energy incentives and the IRA tax credit to offset initial facility costs. The project’s primary goals were to create a high-performing, all-electric, energy-efficient building with renewable energy to minimize environmental impact and operational costs, and to provide a healthy, comfortable space with natural daylight, nature views, and high indoor air quality. Located on a previously developed site, the design preserved wetlands, restored native vegetation, reduced parking, minimized paved areas and light pollution, and supported walkability and alternative transportation.
The high-performance building envelope features a white roof, energy efficient windows, and natural daylighting to the majority of the offices. The electric utility’s facility features a resilient building envelope, an electric geothermal heating and cooling system, a 435 kW roof-mounted photovoltaic (PV) system, ample daylighting, and natural wood panels creating a warm and inviting interior.
The high-efficiency geothermal system and LED lighting systems are controlled by occupancy sensors to reduce energy use, lowering energy costs 58% below the baseline, cutting carbon emissions by 50%. The 435 kW PV system generates 538,600 kWh of electricity, producing approximately 70.2% of the electricity, saving SPU thousands of dollars annually. Seven meters monitor energy use across systems for continuous improvement. To ensure the systems and equipment perform optimally, the building envelope and all on-site energy-consuming mechanical, electrical, and plumbing systems, as well as the PV system, were commissioned. The ENERGY STAR-certified owner-purchased dishwasher and low-flow plumbing fixtures have contributed to an estimated annual savings of over 36%. Six water submeters were installed to track usage and detect anomalies for proactive maintenance.
To maintain a high level of indoor air quality, a construction indoor air quality management plan was implemented, MERV 13 filtration media is used in the ventilation system to capture particulates, and the materials used inside the facility are low- or zero-VOC. A sound construction waste management plan resulted in XX% of waste diverted from the landfill, which was no easy feat considering the existing building was deconstructed.
About LEED
Leadership in Energy & Environmental Design (LEED) is the most widely used green building rating system in the world and an international symbol of excellence in green building. LEED provides a framework to create healthy, highly efficient and cost-saving green buildings. Developed by the U.S. Green Building Council, LEED certification ensures electricity cost savings, lower carbon emissions and healthier environments for the places we live, work, learn, play and worship. For more information, visit usgbc.org.
Construction
Miron Construction Co., Inc., built SPU's facility on 510 Linnerud Drive. Miron is one of the nation’s premier construction firms and industry leaders, and provides innovative preconstruction, construction management, design-build, industrial, and general construction services nationwide. Headquartered in Neenah, Wis., and regional offices throughout Wisconsin, Iowa, and Michigan, Miron is ranked 74th among the “Top 400 Contractors in the United States,” 88th in the “Top 100 Green Building Contractors in the United States,” and 183rd among the “Top 250 Global Contractors” by Engineering News Record (ENR) (based on annual revenue). Visit miron-construction.com for more information.