Energy Efficiency

Watt Saver

Objectives | Summary of Work

Background and Significance

Iowa is poised to make substantial progress on implementing renewable energy and energy efficiency in the next few years. Businesses, municipalities, and educational institutions throughout the state are finding that renewables and energy efficiency can save electricity, cut power bills, create jobs, increase productivity, and, as a bonus, help improve the environment. Iowa policy makers are supportive of incentives and policies to advance commercialization of renewables. Citizen groups, environmental organizations, and energy specialists have become increasingly well-organized and are working together in powerful coalitions and cooperative efforts. In addition, the economic benefits of sustainable energy are winning allies among agricultural interests and segments of the business communities.

However, continued progress will not happen automatically or easily. Although there are few technological barriers to sustainable energy development and implementation, there are significant information gaps still existing. While a handful of forward-looking Iowans have already taken advantage of the financial benefits that renewables and energy efficiency offer, the vast majority of small and large businesses, homeowners and builders, farmers, and local officials have not realized the implications of transferring to these technologies. For progress to continue, most individuals and businesses need a demonstration of successful Iowa applications, including the substantial economic paybacks available from renewable energy and energy efficiency investments.

Project Objectives

Watt Savers: Iowa’s Energy Success Stories was generated to fill this need by highlighting the successes of sustainable energy applications in Iowa. By documenting these successes, any organization or individual considering similar projects will have at their fingertips a comprehensive study of the financial impacts of Iowa’s renewable energy systems and energy efficiency efforts. By raising the visibility of successful pilot programs in Iowa and making clear dollars-and-cents arguments in favor of renewables and energy efficiency we hope to promote wide-scale commercialization of sustainable energy, which will in turn improve Iowa’s environmental and economic well-being.

Watt Savers: Iowa’s Energy Success Stories is divided into several parts. We begin by examining case studies and profiles of renewable energy and energy efficiency applications. The case studies provide a comprehensive view of sustainable energy projects that have proven track records as energy successes. Each case study emphasizes the project’s economic costs and benefits, and provides an economic framework for a business, school, individual, or utility that is interested in replicating the energy success. The profiles, on the other hand, give a less detailed view of the energy application. The reasons for this are many. Often the energy profiles highlight promising, but still unproven projects. Other times, a profile may be for a project in the experimental stage, and in still other instances, the profile is of a broad reaching educational program with a solid track record but difficult to quantify results. We include both to give the readers the fullest picture of the vast range of renewable energy and energy efficiency application existing in Iowa.

Following the sections on sustainable energy case studies and profiles, we list several of the most successful energy education programs in the state. These programs can provide an excellent resource for those looking into sustainable energy. The next section lists many of the most popular sustainable energy financing options available in Iowa — an invaluable resource to anyone interested in sustainable energy at the lowest possible cost. A related section follows. We list the energy efficiency programs available from Iowa’s utility companies. In the next section, we profile a few of the businesses that provide sustainable energy services in Iowa. The section titled “Resources” provides a comprehensive list of the businesses and individuals listed in Watt Savers: Iowa’s Energy Success Stories, as well as other sustainable energy resources to be found in Iowa. Finally, the glossary provides definitions of the energy terms used throughout this publication.

As an added resource, we have included the “Renewable Energy Series” and the “Energy Management Series” published by the Iowa Department of Natural Resources. These excellent series provide brief overviews of many sustainable energy applications in Iowa, and provide an additional view of the economic viability of renewable energy and energy efficiency.

Summary of Work

We began by identifying more than 80 potential case studies and profiles for inclusion in the report. More than 100 individuals were contacted about the project with an initial response form followed by detailed questionnaires to provide information necessary for project evaluation. Completed questionnaires and supporting materials were reviewed for more than 20 projects, and performance records of each submission were evaluated based on financial, social, and environmental benefits.

A diverse mix of projects was selected for inclusion: methane recovery at Pella wastewater treatment facility, energy-efficient light retrofits at Casey’s General Stores, Indian Creek Nature Center’s energy-efficiency efforts, geothermal heating at Postville Presbyterian Church, solar residential systems in Dyersville and Peosta and a wind turbine at Gary Grundmeier’s farm in Storm Lake, just to name a few.

In addition we have completed the sections on energy education, financing options, energy efficiency programs available from Iowa’s utilities, business profiles, resources, and the glossary. We have obtained 400 sets of the “Renewable Energy Series” and “Energy Management Series” from the Iowa Department of Natural Resources.

A draft of the publication was distributed to a peer review committee. Approval of each project cited was obtained, along with comments, corrections and photos and/or graphics for inclusion in the final draft. A first draft has been completed by our graphic designer and this draft has been circulated internally and has been reviewed by the Iowa Energy Center.

After another draft is prepared by our graphic designer, we will review it and make any final modifications. The executive summary and brief descriptions of each case study will be uploaded onto the World Wide Web for additional publicity . Once the final draft is complete, it will be printed and assembled into three-ring binders. This format will be easily expandable to include updated information and projects that come on-line or become clear “successes” after the report’s publication in future supplements.

To ensure that Watt Savers will be received and read by the target audience — potential customers of renewable energy systems and energy efficiency products — ICAN Education Foundation plans to mount an extensive outreach and dissemination campaign during the first half of 1998. Publicity about the report and energy stories included will be disseminated to chambers of commerce, industry associations, lending and educational institutions, citizen groups, energy specialists and municipal, cooperative and investor-owned utilities. The Watt Savers IEC Home Page will reach a wide audience through links to web sites of ICAN, I-Renew, IAMU, Spirit Lake Schools, the University of Northern Iowa, the Environmental Council, the Union of Concerned Scientists and elsewhere.

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