Four U.S. Engineering (USE) facilities now use 100% renewable electricity, marking a significant milestone in our organization’s sustainability efforts. This transition ensures that two-thirds of USE’s overall power consumption is fueled by solar and wind energy, reinforcing our commitment to a greener future.

Two of the four facilities include our primary manufacturing locations in Johnstown, CO, and Lawrence, KS. That’s over 275,000 square feet of renewable-energy-powered manufacturing space.

“At USE, we are committed to a culture of sustainability and have been focusing on three areas for improvement – our fleet, electricity at our facilities, and our natural gas usage. This was just the first step in our planned efforts to reduce greenhouse emissions,” said Tom Poeling, Director of Energy and Sustainability Services, USE.

“When it comes to sustainability, our clients have been leading the way. Many are making similar changes and investing in their communities. Their commitment to greening the grid serves as an inspiration for our team and lets us know we’re not alone in our efforts to provide cleaner power sources for our communities,” said Brandon Wikoff, President of U.S. Engineering Metalworks.

To achieve this milestone, we applied for programs with Poudre Valley REA Green Power for our Colorado location and Evergy for our buildings in Kansas. We were fully enrolled in late July and began using green energy in August. Both plans offer similar benefits, but each comes with an additional cost per kilowatt hour.

“It was important to us to invest in our communities through these programs. Not only are we helping to green the grid, we’re also subsidizing these changes and making them more accessible. This simple first step has made a big impact, but it’s just one tool in our toolbox,” said Poeling. 

The largest difference in the programs is the power source. USE’s Manhattan, Wichita, and Lawrence, KS, offices and manufacturing facility are participating in Evergy’s Wind Subscription. Our Johnstown, CO, manufacturing facility uses solar power.

While these facilities have made the switch, we plan to convert the rest of our buildings as well. We are currently evaluating solutions for our Westminster and Johnstown (our second location in Johnstown), CO, facilities and Kansas City and Springfield, MO, locations.

Visit U.S. Engineering Sustainability Reports to view the 2024 and past reports.