Competition and Energy Savings in Rural Iowa Communities. Carole Yates, Jack Yates, David Osterberg, Heather Milway

Transcription

1 Competition and Energy Savings in Rural Iowa Communities Carole Yates, Jack Yates, David Osterberg, Heather Milway

2 Project Background Kansas Take Charge Challenge Planning (via Power Fund grant) Research into other competitions Key concepts: Natural rivalries Make it local Keep it simple One improvement research component, sciencebased; uses social science strategies for change

3 Partners UNI Center for Energy & Environmental Education Butler County REC Iowa Association of Municipal Utilities / Anne Kimber Green Iowa AmeriCorps Four municipal utilities and guide groups Readlyn / Fairbank (Wapsie Valley), Hudson, Dike An existing citizen group in each town

4 Get Energized, Iowa! Sponsors Iowa Power Fund Iowa Energy Center Fred & Charlotte Hubbell Foundation Cole-Belin Foundation Leighty Foundation

5 Local leaders Dike Community Betterment Association Fairbank Economic Development Association Hudson Chamber of Commerce/ Municipal Utility Readlyn Community Club What they did: Action plans, worked w/ existing events, press

6 How to Win Points Complete pre/ post-survey Give away CFLs by the utility Green Iowa AmeriCorps weatherization audit/followup Make a Plan of Action; take energy saving steps Lower residential electric use during 2012 Total of the above points normalized by # of meters/community. + Extra points per every 1% community-wide residential kwh reduced

7 Community Engagement

8 Grump Days in Readlyn, Iowa June 17, 2012 GRUMPS GONE GREEN You can t get any greener

9 Hudson Town Celebration

10 IAMU s Pedal Power exhibit saw a lot of action; Hudson Pedal Power & gave away a bike! Fairbank T-shirts Summer Festivals

11 Green Iowa AmeriCorps Free residential weatherization audits Free follow-up air sealing 47

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13 Website

14 Get Energized, Iowa! challenges you to earn points for your community and WIN the energy saving competition. Try these 25 Steps Under $25. Put a check mark by the things you already do and an X by the steps you want to take. Then, use the Plan of Action ½ sheet to help you decide what, when, and how to take additional steps to reduce electric use. When you've got a score of 75 on this sheet, return it to your Utility/City Clerk to earn points for your community. Name Address Community Phone LIGHTING 1. Turn off the lights in unused rooms Use natural daylighting when possible Buy energy-efficient compact fluorescent bulbs for the lights you use most. They cost about $2 per bulb. 4. Replace a halogen bulb with a compact fluorescent one Light your Christmas tree with LED lights rather than regular (incandescent) bulbs. HOME APPLIANCES & GADGETS 6. Unplug and recycle an old, extra refrigerator Hang your clothes to dry rather than using the dryer. 8. Use a drying rack in winter to dry clothes Turn off your computer screen saver. Using a screen saver uses more energy than not using one, and your computer's power-down (sleep mode) feature may not work if you have a screen saver activated. 10. Put computer in sleep mode after 15 mins. of non-use Cut your phantom electric loads in half by installing surge protectors or Smart Strips for your TV/stereo and home office equipment. Then turn off surge protectors when not in use. Phantom loads account for 6% of our nation s electrical use. SCORE 5 / bulb 3 Score 1 for every dryer load reduced per week; 20 for the entire summer of line drying clothes

15 Action Plan - 5 Steps to Saving Energy + $! (worth 5 pts. & MORE when items done) Choose 5 things that you marked with an X from the 25 Steps sheet to help you further reduce electric use. Use those 5 things to fill in the chart below to make a plan of action. Then put your contact info on the back and return to a community drop site. Someone will contact you to see how your plan is going. Help win the Get Energized, Iowa! challenge. Action Barriers to Overcome My Strategy When? Who is going to help me? Done Example:Change 5 lights to CFLs I don t know what replacement bulbs to buy. Take my old bulbs to store to get replacements to match my needs. 3/30/12 Ask Joe to remove old bulb.

16 What the towns can win The municipal utility clerks and representatives from each of the community groups met with Carole and David and decided on a prize: A 2 kw PV system on their school.

17 Get Energized, Iowa! Bike Tour Saturday October 6 Dike to Hudson to Cedar Falls Tim Dwight headliner Legislators attended Sunday October 7 Fairbank to Readlyn to Waverly

18 Fairbank to Readlyn Bike Ride

19 Electricity reduced in all towns! average 2012 average (0.50) Q1 Q2 Q3 Q4 Dike Q1 Q2 Q3 Q4 Hudson Q1 Q2 Q3 Q4 Fairbank Q1 Q2 Q3 Q4 Readlyn

20 The Potential: Get Energized, Iowa! Results: Saved over 640,000 kilowatt hours of electricity in 4 communities (actual usage) Equivalent: powers 761 homes for 1 month or 68 homes per year (2,000 residences in competition) Avoided 452 tons of carbon emissions ( Engaged a large part of the 5,400 community members in educational outreach events $64,000 in energy savings

21 Survey Results More interest in taking energy saving actions Increase in energy saving behaviors Minimally aware of economic aspects of energy use Reduces the effects of economic incentives? OVERALL: survey results parallel kwh savings

22 Final Scores and Winner

23 Everyone s a winner! Wapsi Valley wins a PV system Dike and Hudson groups will get to choose a site for a tree planting from Trees Forever.

24 Get Energized thanks: Butler County REC Craig Codner Iowa Association of Municipal Utilities Anne Kimber and Bob Haug Guide groups and Municipal Utilities Dike, Hudson, Fairbank, Readlyn Green Iowa AmeriCorps Ashley Wolter Your utility could reduce electric use, too! Contact David Osterberg, (515) Iowa Policy Project Carole Yates, (319) UNI Center for Energy & Environmental Education