TERESA MADALENO The Michigan Theatre in Jackson Michigan is the areas last link to the golden age of movie palaces. A lot of memories have been made in the building, which opened its doors to the public back in 1930. So much has changed since then, including décor, lighting and other infrastructure. What hasn’t changed though is the desire to keep the building open. Thanks to energy efficiency measures, it looks like the shows will go on in the historical building.
According to Michigan Live, the theatre is saving $20,000 a year on energy with the implementation of energy adjustments. With help from Consumers Energy in Michigan, the theater was able to replace lights in the marquee. They used over one thousand LED lights. They also have new energy efficient doors entering the theater, while still maintaining an historical look. Adding control valves to all the radiators in the building has lead to further savings. Consumers donated a new boiler to the theatre last year and the management has indicated it literally “saved” the theatre. Representatives from Consumers Energy have reported that financing the projects like those carried out at the Michigan Theatre benefit the whole community. Instead of the theatre staff scrambling to come up with money for a new boiler, they were freed up to focus on putting money towards programs residents and visitors to the area can enjoy.
Consumers Energy recently told local media that their goal is to bring more people downtown to live, work and play so investing in energy efficiency to keep business alive makes sense.
Even though Consumer’s project with the Michigan Theatre has officially come to an end, theatre management continues to work with the energy company. For instance, Theatre Executive Director, Steve Tucker told Michigan Live that solar panels might be next.
The Michigan Theater stands as yet another example of how energy savings can make the difference between staying in business and closing your doors. While it may be true that not everyone has a guardian angel willing to pay for their upgrades, there are rebate programs and financial services that make energy upgrades and retrofits more affordable today than they were just a few years ago.