Wright-Hennepin recognizes OSI for its conservation efforts

Posted on August 18, 2011

Rockford, Minn. (August 18, 2011) — Wright-Hennepin Cooperative Electric Association (WH) recently presented Open Systems International, Inc. (OSI) –  a new WH commercial customer – with a $40,000 energy efficiency grant for the company’s use of energy-efficient innovations in its new corporate headquarters in Medina, Minn.

The efficiency grant program is part of WH’s Conservation Improvement Program (CIP). Grants are awarded to businesses that install energy-efficient equipment, which reduce electricity consumption.

OSI’s new corporate headquarters utilizes energy-efficient lighting as well as a ground-source heat pump (a heating system that uses the earth’s temperature to heat, cool and provide hot water for homes and commercial buildings), which is what qualified the company for the grant.

“It’s been great working with Wright-Hennepin,” said OSI Vice President Ron Ingram. “We look forward to working with them in the future to further enhance our energy-efficient practices."

The company is also pursuing LEED (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design) Gold certification for its building. This certification was developed by the U.S. Green Building Council to recognize sustainable structures throughout the country.

“OSI made smart decisions at every turn to optimize their energy efficiency,” said WH Key Account Executive Lane Wilson. “We look forward to working with them as a new member of WH.”

Each year, WH spends more than $500,000 on residential and commercial conservation programs per Minnesota Dept. of Commerce guidelines, including about $100,000 in energy-efficient grants to commercial customers.

OSI (www.osii.com) provides open, state-of-the-art and high-performance automation solutions to utilities worldwide. These solutions include Supervisory Control and Data Acquisition (SCADA) systems, Network Management Systems (NMS), Energy Management Systems (EMS), Distribution Management Systems (DMS) and Generation Management Systems (GMS); as well as individual software and hardware products and Smart Grid Solutions for utility operations worldwide.

WH is a member-owned non-profit electric utility that provides electric power to Wright County and the western part of Hennepin County. The cooperative has been a corporate citizen in this area since 1937 and currently serves more than 46,000 electric accounts. The utility started its security division in 1989 that provides local home security solutions as well as monitors alarm systems for more than 50,000 customers in 32 states and three Canadian provinces.