Fighting the Alliant Rate Increase Andy Johnson, Director Hundreds of people packed the Hotel Winneshiek opera house on May 2nd to voice their opposition to Alliant’s roughly 25% proposed rate hike. Thousands of comments have been submitted to the Iowa Utilities Board demonstrating that Iowans are united against the uncontrolled, rapid, repeated rise in rates. Widespread shock and anger have focused on Alliant’s blatantly false claims during the 2018 municipalization
Kristin Eggen, Communications Specialist The Monthly Energy Breakfast series from the Winneshiek Energy District welcomes Kerri Johannsen from the Iowa Environmental Council to Decorah on Tuesday, May 21. Johannsen will join the local energy conversation at 7:30 AM at T-Bock’s Sports Bar and Grill and share updates from this legislative session regarding clean and local energy. Register at energydistrict.org/breakfast by May 17th. Johannsen will provide a review of activity from
Joel Zook, Energy Planner The Energy District has been closely following any developments out of the state capitol regarding MidAmerican’s attempts to do away with net-metering for solar customers as we know it. The proposed law (HF669) has already passed the Iowa Senate, but it appears to be stalled in the House for lack of support. You can learn more about the bill and its impacts, if passed, on our
Joel Zook, Energy Planner The Energy District, in partnership with the Decorah Public Library, is hosting a Carbon Footprint Workshop on April 30th at 6 pm at the Decorah Public Library. We’ll talk about how to measure your household carbon footprint and discuss ways you can reduce it through energy efficiency and renewable energy investments. We’ll also highlight our local carbon offset program, Oneota Tags, which supports the work of
Andy Johnson, Director Wait, what did you say, Alliant rates are going up? I thought they just promised us (during the debate around a municipal electric utility) that their rates would rise veeeery sloooowly for at least 20 years? We’ve heard many variants of this reaction in recent weeks, some with much more colorful language. If it weren’t so serious, we would be tempted to think the company had a
Kristin Eggen, Communications For many people in northeast Iowa, April is a time for planting, for budding trees, for shedding the layers of winter. For WED’s Green Iowa AmeriCorps team, April has meant “fundraising”. We desperately need a safe, reliable vehicle to continue helping others in Northeast Iowa. Will you read our story and make a contribution to help us reach our goal? Our Wheels, Our Work The team’s van is an
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
So. I placed a down payment on solar last month. I’m committing to the largest purchase I’ve ever made (not counting my house). I’ve sat on the fence on this decision for some time because I don’t have the greatest location to install solar on my house. My roof faces west not south, and I have a lot of shading from a big old sycamore tree in my back yard.
Iowa House Republicans have introduced a long-awaited bill to kill net metering as we know it in Iowa. The bill was apparently drafted by MidAmerican Energy and will likely be supported by Alliant Energy, as both have aggressively attempted to overturn net metering in the past. Read the details below, and ask your Iowa Representative and Senator for a clear statement in opposition to HSB 185. Attend their weekend listening
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