This November, Wisconsin voters won’t just be choosing a new governor. They’ll be choosing between two dramatically different energy bills. That’s according to a new analysis from Greenline Insights commissioned by Evergreen Action and Wisconsin Conservation Voters, which finds that gubernatorial candidate David Crowley’s clean energy agenda would put money back in Wisconsinites’ pockets, while gubernatorial candidate Tom Tiffany’s push to cut energy efficiency programming and restrict renewable energy buildout would drive costs sharply higher. The two paths carry a $10 billion cumulative swing in household energy costs between 2027 and 2040, a $4,000 difference for the average Wisconsin household’s energy bill.
Crowley’s plan saves families$826 per household on average—$2.1 billion statewide—through 2040, driven by doubling funding of Wisconsin’s Focus on Energy efficiency and weatherization program from 1.2% to 2.4% of utility retail revenues.
Tiffany’s plan raises costs by $3,181 per household on average—$8 billion statewide—through 2040, driven by cutting Focus on Energy efficiency funding ($2.9 billion in added costs) and restricting renewable energy buildout in favor of more expensive, unreliable fossil fuel power plants ($5 billion in added costs).
The gap: $4,000 per household on average—$10 billion statewide—between the two agendas.
The biggest driver of the gap is the investment—or disinvestment—in energy efficiency and weatherization. Focus on Energy has long helped Wisconsin households lower their bills by weatherizing homes and improving efficiency. Expanding that investment, as Crowley proposes, compounds savings for families over time. Gutting it, as Tiffany proposes, would eliminate a proven cost-reducer for families and wipe out any savings from defunding it, raising bills further. Restricting renewable energy development would further add to the damage, forcing households to pay for more expensive fossil fuel generation even when cheaper, clean renewable sources are available.
“Wisconsin’s Focus on Energy program has spent years quietly lowering costs by helping people weatherize their homes. This analysis shows just how much that investment adds up—and what happens when it’s taken away. Scaling back efficiency programs and scaling up fossil fuel generation instead of cheaper renewables comes with a real cost that won’t just disappear. It will land directly on Wisconsin households,” said Lauren Reeg, Evergreen Action Midwest Advocate.
“Wisconsinites are working harder than ever, yet families across our state continue to struggle with rising costs on everything from groceries to their monthly utility bills,” said Kerry Schumann, Executive Director of Wisconsin Conservation Voters.“This analysis proves that the choice this November couldn’t be clearer for household budgets. While Tom Tiffany’s agenda sides with special interests and corporate polluters to drive up energy costs by thousands of dollars, David Crowley knows what it’s like to struggle with these expenses firsthand. Crowley has a proven track record of fighting for working families, holding corporations accountable, and lowering energy bills by transitioning to cleaner, more affordable energy sources.”
Energy affordability is shaping up to be one of the defining issues in Wisconsin’s governor’s race, and this analysis puts a number on what’s at stake: up to $4,000 per household. The choice voters make this fall will show up on utility bills for years to come.
