GIA Recieves Tool Donation from Allamkee Clayton REC

GIA Recieves Tool Donation from Allamkee Clayton REC

This is John Molumby, from the Allamakee Clayton Electric Cooperative, with Bri Burke and Gracie Engle of the Green Iowa AmeriCorps team. The GIA team recently took a field trip to the ACEC headquarters so we could pick up a blower door fan, frame, and other equipment John was donating to the Winneshiek Energy District. We’ve been working with John for a while. He’s referred ACEC clients with high utility

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News from the Winneshiek Solar Fair

News from the Winneshiek Solar Fair

Briana Burke, Logistics Coordinator, Green Iowa AmeriCorps What can save you money, is good for the environment, creates local jobs, and is the future of energy? Solar panels! While that riddle isn’t too hard to figure out, the process of getting solar panels installed on your home can feel like an overwhelming maze. This past Saturday, over 150 people from the tri-state area took the first steps through the maze

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WANTED: Owner-Occupied Homes for Free Energy Assessments

WANTED: Owner-Occupied Homes for Free Energy Assessments

Kristin Eggen, Communications Specialist Partnership is a beautiful thing. The Regional Housing Trust Fund (RHTF) partners with the Winneshiek Energy District to bring qualifying homeowners in Northeast Iowa FREE home energy assessments. Do you know of an owner-occupied, single family home with an annual income of less than $50,450?  You can help them save money and decrease the home’s carbon footprint. Have them call our office today to schedule an RHTF-sponsored energy assessment. It will save them money, help

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Energy Efficiency: Act Now or Lose $$$

Andy Johnson, Executive Director Have energy efficiency projects been on your should-do list for a long time, but not quite made the HONEY-DO list? Consider acting now to take full advantage of financial incentives, because many of those incentives will not be available come January 1, 2018. How do we know this? The utility lobby – especially Alliant and MidAmerican – designed, fought for and won passage of a “Christmas

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Learning Sustainable Neighborhood Design from Prairie Hill

Decorah  – On Tuesday morning in T-Bock’s lower level, 30 people gathered as part of the Winneshiek Energy District’s Energy Breakfast series to learn about “cohousing”, a Danish intentional living community, from longtime Decorah resident Craig Mosher. Mosher recently moved from Decorah to Iowa City where he became a founding member of Prairie Hill Cohousing, a new eight-acre development that uses intentional design to support members’ shared values of having:

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SPRING CLEANING: Small measures to improve your home’s energy efficiency

SPRING CLEANING: Small measures to improve your home’s energy efficiency

Emily Osborne, Green Iowa AmeriCorps Audit Coordinator Got a bored teenager and want to lower your energy bills? If so, here is a quick list of opportunities to kill two birds with one stone!  Make natural cleaners. As our nation transitions to a chemical-free food system, why not apply the same mentality towards our cleaning supplies? Creating your personal cleaner reduces your home’s exposure to unknown chemicals, helps the environment,

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Farm Energy Expert Shares Ideas on Efficiency, Renewables

Earlier month WED Energy Planner Joel Zook met up with journalist Pam Reinig of the Clayton County Register to talk about farm energy: PR: How many farm energy plans have you conducted? JZ: I’ve done about 20 Farm Energy Plans myself, start to finish. But the energy District has helped over 60 farmers complete Farm Energy Plans. I came on midway through the Energy District’s farm program and have helped

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A tale of Sherlock “Homes”

A tale of Sherlock “Homes”

Emily Osborne, Green Iowa AmeriCorps Audit Coordinator (2017-18) “There is nothing like first-hand evidence.” -Sherlock Holmes, A Study in Scarlet Picture this scene: There you are nestled in your living room, ready for a well-deserved night off with a mug of fresh pressed apple cider and a classic “rom-com” on the screen. As you finally decompress from a taxing week, you are abruptly interrupted by a large draft coming from

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Putting a value on Energy Upgrades and Weighing the Cost of Delay

Putting a value on Energy Upgrades and Weighing the Cost of Delay

Joel Zook, Energy Planner If you are considering an energy upgrade for your business – like installing solar panels or upgrading a furnace –  it’s safe to assume you are weighing both lowered energy bills and the upfront cost of the improvement. Many people consider the value of an upgrade in terms of “payback period” – how long the savings will take to pay off the initial investment. Lighting upgrades

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Decorah Library Fundraises for LED Lights

2017 is a bright year at the Decorah Public Library. The city-owned building on the corner of Main Street and Winnebago Street plans to complete an LED lighting retrofit this year that will increase light quality for library patrons and save the library money on electricity and maintenance. The library is asking for donations to help fund the remaining cost of the project. Approximately two-thirds of the $15,500 project is

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