Iowa Energy Bank helps agencies save money on heating and cooling

A program created by the Iowa Department of Natural Resources is proving popular lately with all the warnings about the high cost of heating this winter. Danielle Dilks oversees the Iowa Energy Bank Program which helps public sector and nonprofits improve the energy efficiency of their buildings. She says, “We’re getting a ton of calls right now. Everybody wants to save money.” She says the problem is it could take up to a year to make the improvements, depending on what they have done. Dilks says the program provides technical assistance and low-interest financing is available to help pay for the improvements. She says all the talk about high energy prices has people getting ready sooner then they normally would. She says they’re planning ahead and doing their weatherization and finding ways to put more people in a facility. She says they’re also shutting down buildings earlier, as night shutdown is a big way to save money. Dilks says there’s one type of organization they’ve been hearing from a lot. She says schools are by far the biggest clients. She says part of the reason is because of the ease of financing, but she says they serve community colleges, local governments, hospitals and non-profit organizations. Dilks says schools have another big reason to look for more fuel efficiency.She says the average age of the boilers in Iowa’s schools is over 45 years, so she says the potential for improvement is pretty great. Dilks says experts with the Iowa Energy Bank look at a variety of options. She says the first part of the process involves walking through the facility and identifying the areas where they can save. Dilks says there are some quick improvements, such as switching to more efficient light bulbs, that organizations can make to save energy. For more information, contact Dilks at 515-281-8063.