by Joel Zook, Energy Planner We’ve been asked recently why Black Hills natural gas bills are rising and continue to rise when the rate increase was a one-time deal, and was reported to be a relatively small one. The answer is complicated, but we’ll try to explain. Here are three take-aways: Yes, Black Hills recently raised their rates However, the larger impact on your home or business’s bills is due
Joel Zook, Energy Planner 2022 started off with an announcement from Ford that it will double production of its Ford Lightning to 150,000 vehicles per year. Ford revealed the Ford F150 Lightning in May of 2021, with preorders available for vehicles rolling off the line in spring 2022. The decision to increase production was likely due to the popularity of the newly launched EV and the large number of reservation.
Andy Johnson, Executive Director While it’s true that electric vehicles generally cost about half as much to drive in fuel compared to gasoline/diesel … We often get asked “are they really better for climate and the environment, given that fossil fuels still dominate electricity production, and batteries have a significant impact too?” The Union of Concerned Scientists has repeatedly demonstrated the lower fuel-related emissions of grid-powered EVs relative to gasoline
Martin Donovan, Green Iowa Americorps When you’re cooking up ways to increase the efficiency of your home, upgrading your stove to an induction cooktop could be a fun and useful thing to consider. Unlike electric or gas cooktops, induction burners directly heat pots and pans. But what does direct heat actually mean? When cooking with electric stoves, a lot of energy is used to heat metal coils which then heats
Is every member of your household fully vaccinated against Covid-19? If so, the Green Iowa Americorps team is excited to offer you a First Step Home Energy Audit! Call our office (563) 382-4207 to schedule your appointment. We will require all applicants to complete and sign a form listing all members of a household and providing their dates and types of vaccination. An audit will be scheduled no sooner than
by Joel Zook, Energy Planner 2021 is going to be another exciting year for solar. It’s a big deal that federal tax credits have been extended, net-metering laws are in place for Iowa’s investor-owned utilities (Alliant Energy and MidAmerican Energy) that give long term peace of mind to solar owners, AND the state legislature is looking at renewing and extending the state solar tax credit. Meanwhile, installed prices continue their
by Joel Zook, Energy Planner We’ve talked a lot here at the energy district about the phase out of the solar tax credits, but it’s important to know that there are other tax credits for energy efficiency measures and geothermal heating and cooling systems that will also soon come to an end. First off, a little known tax credit was revived earlier this year that allows homeowners to claim a
Interested in investing in solar for your home, farm, or business? 2020 is the perfect time to go solar! A combination of low solar costs combined with federal and state tax credits (which are decreasing each year) and rising electricity rates makes now a great time to install solar. Our very own Joel Zook, energy planner at Winneshiek Energy District, holistically details the need-to-know concepts for anyone considering the benefits
This article is an excerpt from the Department of Energy’s page on LED lighting. We love how it takes into account the longevity of an LED strand and lays out the math of electrical use. LED Holiday Lights LEDs consume far less electricity than incandescent bulbs, and decorative LED light strings such as Christmas tree lights are no different. Not only do LED holiday lights consume less electricity, they also
By: Briana Burke, Green Iowa AmeriCorps NE Iowa’s Energy-Efficiency Triad In 2017 an estimated 66.7% to 86% of energy production in the United States was wasted (Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory, 2017). In a time when we are facing a climate crisis, we are not only the single largest per-capita producers of greenhouse gas emissions that drive climate change, but well over half of our emissions end up in the atmosphere