Energy savings are brewing at Cargo Coffee

A family-owned coffee shop in Madison’s redeveloped South Park Street corridor is operating more efficiently with assistance from the Community Impact Project. This project is a partnership with MGE and FOCUS ON ENERGY^®, Wisconsin’s statewide energy efficiency program. 

The pilot offered incentives to small businesses in the area to make energy-saving upgrades. Recognizing the value of energy efficiency and its impact on operating costs, Cargo Coffee took advantage of the opportunity to participate.  

“We moved into our 1,400-square-foot building, a former Jiffy Lube, in 2002. The building was retrofitted to accommodate a coffee shop, but after more than two decades, energy efficiency in some areas was declining,” said Lindsey Lee, owner. “It was a good time to consider some updates.” 

An energy advisor from Focus on Energy conducted a free energy assessment and created a prioritized list of energy efficiency improvements for Cargo Coffee. Lee decided to move forward with a tankless water heater and an under-the-counter refrigerator. These upgrades were possible with $5,500 in incentives from the Community Impact Project. 

“Our existing equipment was aging. I bought the used refrigerator almost 23 years ago. The water heater also was more than 20 years old and not very efficient,” Lee explained.  

MGE worked with Cargo Coffee to implement the selected improvements. This included finding local trade ally contractors in the Focus on Energy program, ordering equipment and arranging the installation. With these projects complete, Cargo Coffee is expected to see both natural gas and electric savings.  

“Being a small business, it sometimes is difficult to prioritize capital improvements like this new energy-efficient equipment,” Lee said. “The Community Impact Program made the upgrade affordable and easy to execute. Overall, this was a great experience.”   

South Park Street Neighborhood 

MGE nominated the South Park Street neighborhood for the program because it has a concentration of small businesses with a strong fabric in the community. Many of these businesses also have older buildings with great potential for energy savings. In addition to Cargo Coffee, eight other companies in this area participated in the Community Impact Project. 

Focus on Energy is continuing the pilot in other areas of the state with the hope that it will help shed light on the barriers small businesses face when considering energy-saving upgrades—from up-front costs and finding contractors to a lack of knowledge about energy efficiency.