Slipstream history

Low-income energy efficiency programs were first initiated in 1982 as a component of both electric and natural gas utilities' DSM efforts.

1989: Wisconsin utilities, regulators, educators, and community-based leaders created the Wisconsin Center for Demand-Side Research (WCDSR) to expand energy efficiency knowledge in Wisconsin through research.

1993 Wisconsin Public Service was the first utility in the state to hire Customer Assistance Advisors.

In 1994 the PSC opened a docket to explore the costs and benefits of restructuring the electric utility industry.

1996: WECC creates Energy Finance Solutions--the original financing arm through which Slipstream catalyzes more energy efficiency projects through financing.

1997: ECW founds the first Better Buildings: Better Business Conference, North America's largest educational event for cold-climate residential building professionals.

Feb 1999 Wisconsin Public Service and other utilities in Minnesota and Wisconsin announced the formation of Nuclear Management Company.

Oct 2000 Wisconsin Public Service announced the company had joined the American Transmission Company (ATC), a state-based electric transmission company formed as a result of the Reliability Act 2000.

The official merger date would be April 1, 2001.

Sep 2002 To help meet growing electric demand, Wisconsin Public Service announced intentions to add a 500-megawatt coal-fired electric generator at the Weston Power Plant site.

At the end of a three-year transition period in January 2003, the utilities were required to transfer these funds and program operations to the DOA's Division of Energy.

Dec 2004 WPS Resources Corporation (presented Wisconsin Governor James Doyle with a deed for approximately 12,000 acres of land donated and sold to the state by Wisconsin Public Service.

Apr 2006 WPS Resources completed the purchase of the Michigan gas operations of Aquila, Inc.

For More Information State Report: Wisconsin, from Ratepayer-Funded Low-Income Energy Programs: Performance and Possibilities, APPRISE and Fisher, Sheehan, and Colton, July 2007

The plant won the 2008 Plant of the Year Award from POWER magazine and Power Engineering's 2008 Best Coal-Fired Project award.

In 2010, the College Sustainability Report Card, an independent ranking prepared by the Sustainable Endowments Institute, awarded UW–Madison an “A” – its highest ranking – and named the school an Overall College Sustainability Leader.

The UW–Madison Office of Sustainability launched in March 2012 and now works to create a culture of sustainability on campus by instilling sustainability as a core individual value while aligning sustainability principles with campus goals, objectives, and activities.

2013 Wisconsin Public Service purchased Fox Energy Center, a natural gas fueled electric generating unit.

Assessment of Gas and Electricity Savings for Homes Treated under Wisconsin's Home Energy Plus Low-Income Weatherization Program, Wisconsin Energy Conservation Corporation, February 2014

WEC Energy Group was formed in 2015 but has predecessor companies that carry over a century of history.

2017: WECC launches statewide administration of the PACE Wisconsin program.

The PBF funds are spent in coordination with the WAP. During program year 2018, public benefits expenditures for weatherization (direct labor and materials) totaled about $19.4 million with 6,045 units receiving PBF-funded measures and with an average savings of $500 per year.