Organizers of the Get Energized, Iowa! competition among four communities today announced Wapsie Valley — the combined team of Readlyn and Fairbank — as the winner for reducing the most electricity use in 2012. The Wapsie teams combined to see a 6.4 percent reduction in electricity in 2012 from the annual average of 2010 and 2011. That compared with a reduction of 5.1 percent in Hudson and 3.1 percent in Dike. By itself, Readlyn reduced the most electricity used with a 12 percent reduction in 2012 over the baseline 2010-2011 period.

In the points system used to score the competition, Wapsie Valley won with 2,242 points, just ahead of the 2,133 for Dike and 1,226 for Hudson.

All of the communities showed significant savings, said David Osterberg, executive director of the Iowa Policy Project (IPP), which sponsored the friendly challenge along with the University of Northern Iowa Center for Energy and Environmental Education (CEEE).

Other partners included the Iowa Association of Municipal Utilities, Green Iowa AmeriCorps, Butler County Rural Electric Cooperative, and the municipal utilities and community groups in each town.

“As we said all along, this isn’t just an academic exercise, and the efforts in these communities can show other communities how it’s done,” Osterberg said.

“While this exercise showed how community leadership and friendly competition can make a difference to achieve smarter use of energy, one of the lessons can be that public policy could have this kind of impact as well.”

Guide teams led the effort in each community. The Readlyn Community Club served that role in Readlyn, and was Instrumental in incorporating Get Energized into many community events.

Louie Hartman, club president during 2012, said some of the efforts through the year became habits, and that residents will keep doing them.

“Two of the easiest were switching lights off and putting in CFLs (compact florescent light bulbs) — and being more conscious of running the dishwasher when it was full,” Hartman said.

Hartman enjoyed seeing seniors in older homes get involved, taking advantage of weatherization audits and follow-up weatherizations by Green Iowa AmeriCorps workers.

Another benefit was that Readlyn and Fairbank worked together with a favorable outcome, which Hartman called “good for both communities.”

Readlyn City Clerk Lois Buhr said in her own home, changes including trying during summer to keep drapes pulled when it was sunny, and changing out light bulbs to CFLs, as well as altering laundry habits — hanging clothes out to dry, and running the washer and dryer late at night rather than at peak load times.

She said the competition was good because people like to compete and it “makes you actually take the steps.”

“I think these changes will stay with me especially with the cost of electricity going up,” she said.

Fairbank City Clerk Marlene Strempke said she saw the benefit of more weatherization — caulking and weather stripping — both with comfort (“not as drafty”) and in the pocketbook, as she “saw some difference in the electric bill.”

Officials in the other competing communities also shared energy-saving tips. Sue Theisen, utility administrator in Hudson, said she lowered the temperature on her water heater, waited for a full load before washing clothes or dishes, and used all cold water for washing clothes.

Dike Mayor Mike Soppe said he changed his programmable thermostat to lower heat and raise air-conditioning temperatures and installed more CFLs.

Both Soppe and Theisen said they would keep up with the new energy-saving techniques.

“We’re used to it after this year and I don’t know why we wouldn’t stick with it,” Soppe said.

The Get Energized competition earned a public face in the towns, with promotions including giveaways of CFLs and Get Energized displays and parade entries.

“The strategies we used to help people know how to reduce energy encouraged people to make changes in their lives, to help their household budgets immediately and also help the environment for the long term,” said Carole Yates, community organizer at CEEE.

“We are hopeful that we will see the dividends of this effort for years to come, in these communities and in others as well,” Yates said.

(Note that not all actions are worth the same number of points. For example returning a survey was worth 1 point while having Green Iowa Americorps weatherize a house was worth 5. All point totals are adjusted to account for the different sizes of the towns. Also, actual electricity reductions have not been incorporated into this round of scoring.)

What will you do to help your town win? Check in with your town’s community guide team to see what you can do!

(Note that not all actions are worth the same number of points. For example returning a survey was worth 1 point while having Green Iowa Americorps weatherize a house was worth 5. All point totals are adjusted to account for the different sizes of the towns. Also, actual electricity reductions have not been incorporated into this round of scoring.)

A Waterloo-Cedar Falls Courier editorial, “Competition with a Purpose,” noted the remarks of Iowa Policy Project executive director David Osterberg, who stated, “This is a model we can carry into other places.”

The Courier added:

Competitions can be a fun way for people to address a serious subject — and expose the practical avenues that we could be using every day in reaching a goal.

We look forward to the results of this particular friendly competition and to the lessons that can potentially be learned by all of us.

The Courier also provided coverage of the ride in a story on Monday, along with some great pictures that can be found with the online version of the story.

Likewise, KWWL-TV covered the tour, offering this story on Sunday. View it here.

Thank you to everyone who took part in the tour, and to the media representatives who took the time to cover it and help Iowans understand the opportunities available in more efficient and sustainable energy alternatives.

See the results of the towns’ competition for most bikers on the Tour and check out the news stories that resulted from the weekend! Thanks to everyone for making the Green Bike Tour such a success!

If they do, he knows they’ll be helping to put Iowa ahead in the area of clean, renewable energy.

Dwight, a former University of Iowa and NFL football star, is now a leading advocate for solar energy. He will participate during the first day of the Get Energized, Iowa! Green Bike Tour, leading the way Saturday as riders start in Dike, traveling on to another competing community, Hudson, and later to Cedar Falls.

On the second day, the ride will proceed to two more competing towns, Fairbank and Readlyn, before finishing in Waverly.

Riders are welcome to join for any or all of the ride.

Here is the latest schedule:

Saturday, Oct. 6

9 a.m.  Dike City Park Shelter Area – Breakfast & Cheers for Dike’s participation from Mayor Mike Soppe and community members.

Park cars at an angle near the park, or across the car wash, or west of the water tower. Meet in the Park Shelter for breakfast provided by the Dike Community Betterment Association, the Get Energized guide team.

10 a.m. Bike to Hudson

12 noon Hudson Library for Lunch by the Chamber of Commerce & Hudson Municipal Electric Utility, local Get Energized guide team. Cheers for Hudson’s participation from community organizations.

Park cars at Hudson City Hall, across the street from the Library.

12:30 p.m. Bike to Cedar Falls 

1:30-2:00 p.m. First bikers arrive in Cedar Falls at Tony’s, near 4th & Main, to hear about the solar hot water & other energy efficiency changes.

Sunday, Oct. 7,  Schedule

9 a.m. Fairbank Aquatic Park – Breakfast & Cheers for Fairbank’s participation.

Park cars at the Aquatic Park, 5^th & Main.  Meet for breakfast provided by the Fairbank Development Corporation, the Get Energized guide team.  

10 a.m. Bike to Readlyn

12 noon Readlyn Ball Park Concession Stand – Lunch and Cheers for Readlyn’s participation.

 Lunch provided by the Readlyn Community Club, the Get Energized guide team.

Park cars at Ball Park, north of 6^th St. & V49 blacktop.

1 p.m. Bike to Waverly to see solar shingles on home @ 2401 W. Bremer Ave (Mike & Kathe Sherer).

Interested riders may register by e-mail to Heather Milway (hmilway(at)iowapolicyproject.org) by today (Thursday, Oct. 4) at 5 p.m. with name of rider(s), date that rider(s) will be biking, and a contact phone number.

What will you do to help your town win? Check in with your town’s community guide team to see what you can do!

(Note that not all actions are worth the same number of points. For example returning a survey was worth 1 point while having Green Iowa Americorps weatherize a house was worth 5. All point totals are adjusted to account for the different sizes of the towns. Also, actual electricity reductions have not been incorporated into this round of scoring.)

All communities are showing energy reductions with Dike and Wapsie Valley running neck and neck and Hudson not far behind, according to David Osterberg, executive director, Iowa Policy Project (IPP), the lead organization of the friendly energy challenge.

“This isn’t just an academic exercise,” Osterberg said. “The winning community will have a solar electric (photovoltaic) system installed on its local school.”

Guide teams leading the effort in each community recently met to describe events and activities they’re offering to help residents reduce electrical usage, even during a hot summer.

Dike City Clerk Patti Freese said the city and the Dike Community Development Corporation have given away compact fluorescent lamps to residents. During Watermelon Days in early August, residents generated electricity on the Pedal Power bicycle display.

In Readlyn and Fairbank, competing together as Wapsie Valley with a shared high school, both towns’ summer festivals featured Get Energized Iowa displays. Readlyn’s Community Club adopted “Grumps Gone Green” as its celebration theme at Grump Days and built a Green Metro Bus for its parade entry.

The Wapsie Valley team also attracted crowds with the Pedal Power display and a huge inflatable CFL from the Iowa Association of Municipal Utilities (IAMU). City Clerk Lois Buhr reports the team has given away 277 CFLs at events, had 19 homes weatherized/air sealed, and 51 homes audited by Green Iowa AmeriCorps staff, a project partner.

Fairbank participants gave away Get Energized Wapsie Valley T-shirts at its summer festival, according to Jason Kayser, Fairbank Economic Development Corporation member. They also used the Pedal Power bike, are giving away CFLs, and went door to door in much of the community to get people to complete a survey about how they use energy in their homes.

Hudson’s guide groups — Chamber of Commerce and Hudson Municipal Electric Utility — chose “Lights Off, Party On” for a Hudson Days theme. They made a big splash with the Pedal Power display as 80 participants competed to create the most kilowatt hours and win a bicycle. They gave away 150 CFLs at Hudson Days alone and got 24 more residents to sign up for a weatherization audit to locate air leaks in their homes. Hudson Library director Mary Bucy plans to display books on home energy efficiency and renewable energy.

Residents in all communities are sharing the many steps they’ve already taken to reduce electric usage and planning next steps. Communities can also distribute SWEAT Tips — Summer Weather Energy And Temperature Tips — for residents to stay cooler and save energy, said Carole Yates, community organizer, Center for Energy & Environmental Education (CEEE), University of Northern Iowa.

In addition to IPP, CEEE, IAMU and Green Iowa AmeriCorps, other project partners include the Butler County Rural Electric Cooperative, and the municipal utilities and community groups in each town.

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News release Monday, August 6, 2012

Readlyn’s energy efficiency bus in Fairbank’s Island Days parade

It’s what’s inside that counts…