With the end of Alliant Energy’s renewable rebates on the horizon, Alliant customers should act NOW to save their spot in the rebate program. Solar panel prices are great right now, and non-Alliant energy customers (without rebates) are seeing excellent payback times on their systems. Really. We’ve said this before, but if you are thinking about installing solar panels, now is the time. Panel prices are at their lowest in years
Author Archives: Andy
If the sun shines on a solar panel but no one’s there to see it, does it make a watt? Ok, so that’s not so much an ancient proverb, but I think it’s fitting in our current day and age. Solar panels are being installed at a tremendous rate these days with fewer and fewer in high visibility locations. One might never know that there are over 80 kilowatts (kW)
There has never been a better time for installing a solar photovoltaic array on your house. Prices on solar panels have dropped steeply over the past few years, with more and more panels being produced. Incentives are great too. There is a federal income tax credit on 30% the installed cost of renewable energy (with no upper limit). Iowa has recently passed a state income tax credit for 15% of
Have you ever wondered how your home’s energy use stacked up against the universe of similar homes in your area, and how much improvement potential you have? Or have you been shopping for houses and wanted to compare a “miles per gallon” rating for houses? The issue of “Home Energy Scoring” has made significant progress in recent years, but is still in its infancy. Winneshiek Energy District is not satisfied
The Energy District recently joined a group 144 other non-profits and foundations across eight Midwestern states working on climate change and energy policy, all with a common goal of reducing global warming pollution economy-wide by 80% by 2050. RE-AMP brings environmental, labor, faith, youth, energy, conservation and other groups together to develop common priorities to achieve its goals in the areas of Clean Energy, Coal, Energy Efficiency, Global Warming Solutions, and Transportation. With a wide array of member
You’ve probably seen those yellow Energy Star labels on appliances, but did you know that entire buildings can also be awarded an Energy Star designation? Through 2012, the following seven buildings in Decorah have received this recognition, the first five through assistance from Winneshiek Energy District, an Energy Star Partner. First Lutheran Church Good Shepherd Lutheran Church First United Methodist Church of Decorah Erdman Engineering Ace Hardware Oneota Community Coop
Winneshiek Energy District is looking for a few good friends. “Make that a few hundred!” said Board member Jeni Grouws. “We’re super excited about what we’ve accomplished in our first two short years. We’re even more excited about what we can do going forward with tremendous community support through our first ever local fund drive.” The organization is appealing to the public to sign up as “Friends” of the District
The Winneshiek Energy District will host an open house of its Net-Zero Home retrofit project, preceded by a short film screening and discussion, on Saturday, December 1st. The documentary film screening and project discussion will take place at Good Shepherd Lutheran Church at 1pm. The open house at 805 5th Avenue will follow, and run from about 2-4pm. Attendees can easily walk the one block in between. “This is a
From an article on DecorahNews.com. Decorah Bank & Trust Company has just put into operation the largest rooftop solar installation to date in Decorah. The 22 kilowatt (kW) photovoltaic solar array sits on the bank roof. It should produce enough energy to power the equivalent of three average-sized homes. Dennis Pottratz of Go Solar in Decorah managed and installed the system with the help of local contractors. “It has been
The Green Business Challenge: Save Energy and Save Money! The Winneshiek Energy District is encouraging businesses to save energy and save money with the Green Business Challenge. Businesses that sign up for the Green Business Challenge will gain recognition for their efforts and qualify to win one of three intensive electrical audits from Smartgreen.com energy consulting valued at over $3,000. Businesses that sign up for the Green Business Challenge enter