Guest Story by Jim and Liz Fritz, Good Shepherd Lutheran Church, Decorah, Iowa Is it possible for a small Midwestern Lutheran congregation to go from eight natural gas furnaces to eight heat pumps and create all needed energy, via solar, needed to run them in only 4 years? It is possible, and it’s happening right now! The Background Good Shepherd Lutheran Church of Decorah was founded in 1958 on land that
Author Archives: Paul Cutting
According to Autolist.com’s 2023 Electric Vehicle Survey, new car buyers’ top concerns with EVs include sky-high prices, range limitations, and a lack of public charging. As their data suggests, year-over-year progress has been made on all three of these fronts, with consumers increasingly warming to the idea of EV purchases. Nevertheless, significant obstacles remain. The average MSRP of an EV has narrowed relative to that of gas powered models, albeit
By Andy Johnson, Clean Energy Districts of Iowa Executive Director Heads up electric vehicle (EV) charge station owners: All non-residential EV charging that happens in the state of Iowa will be subject to a new 2.6 cents per kilowatt/hour fuel excise tax beginning July 1. To read the complete story, please visit Clean Energy Districts of Iowa’s website.
When it comes to buying and selling a home, what exactly is the value of solar? Does having solar panels on your roof actually increase your home’s value at the time of sale? How can you help potential buyers understand that your solar array will save them lots of money over time? Solar as an asset and solar basics For most residential customers, solar is a straightforward and easy to
Decorah Businesses Encouraged to Utilize Energy Efficiency Programs By Jim Martin-Schramm, Clean Energy Districts of Iowa Policy Analyst According to a study completed in 2020, the largest share of greenhouse gas emissions in the City of Decorah comes from the Commercial sector (28.4%). Electricity use makes up 61% of these emissions and natural gas represents the remaining 39% of emissions. The Decorah Sustainability Commission encourages local businesses to help reduce
Browsing Rewiring America’s website, it’s easy to get excited about the potential benefits of home electrification. Heat pumps, induction stoves, ventless heat pump clothes dryers, breaker boxes, rooftop solar, EVs, etc. All relatively straightforward, and most–with Inflation Reduction Act incentives–cheap and easy. Right? In reality, not so fast. I was recently contacted by a Decorah couple to provide some recommendations for home electrification. The couple had the money and were
Tour area homes and learn about solar installations, heat pumps, energy efficiency, and sustainable building practices! Winneshiek Energy District is excited to partner with six Decorah area homeowners for self-guided tours, Saturday, June 10th from 1-4pm. Visit as many as you can in an afternoon (or perhaps all!) and come away inspired to implement these practices at your own home. Participants are free to come and go as they please,
Inflation Reduction Act Consumer Incentives Fact Sheets! Click each fact sheet to download PDF.
Join us October 13 for the Northeast Iowa Get Charged Up! EV Event! A line up of subject matter experts and panel discussions will introduce attendees to community electric vehicle (EV) readiness, EV fleet transitions, charging infrastructure deployment, funding opportunities and more. Also check out the EV exhibit, Ride and Drive opportunity, and vendors. Our goal is to bring engagement around this expanding technology to our local communities so