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
Decorah is on the map again for efforts in sustainable energy and climate change. This time the focus is not on the renewable energy itself but on the “solar renewable energy credits” (or SRECs) associated with the solar energy produced. SRECs are a form of carbon (or greenhouse gas emissions) trading, and though it’s a relatively new idea to Americans, even the Super Bowl is now involved. “The local trading
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
The Luther College Board of Regents has endorsed a goal of having the college be carbon neutral by the year 2030. Regents have authorized Luther President Richard Torgerson to plan and pursue sustainable methods of operation and energy conservation initiatives that will reduce the campus carbon footprint by 50 percent by the end of 2015, 70 percent by 2020, and achieve its carbon neutral goal by the year 2030. Luther
The Energy District has partnered with the City of Decorah to offer energy efficiency assistance to low-moderate income households in Decorah. All qualifying households can and are encouraged to participate in our Home Efficiency Program. Who is eligible for this program? All households in the City of Decorah whose total household pre-tax annual income is less than 80% of area median as shown in the chart below qualify for both programs.