Press Release
MidAmerican Energy
March 8, 2006
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
For more information, contact:
Allan Urlis, Director of Media Relations
(515) 281-2785
agurlis@midamerican.com
Davenport School District Cuts Energy Use and Saves Nearly $600,000
DAVENPORT, Iowa – (March 8, 2006) – MidAmerican Energy and the Davenport
School District have teamed up to reduce the district’s energy use by 24 percent
the last two years.
The energy savings is the result of a revitalization of the school district’s
energy-efficiency programs, behavior modification and equipment upgrades.
MidAmerican Energy Company and its energy consultants provided a guide for
energy-efficient equipment for the district to consider and offered a total
savings of nearly $200,000 with equipment rebates through its EnergyAdvantage®
programs. The Davenport School District distributed posters, energy-efficiency
tips and Energy Efficiency World booklets supplied by MidAmerican to encourage
students and staff to do their part for energy efficiency.
Over the last two years, the district has saved $593,719 on its energy costs.
The district also boasts a median cost of energy per student of $88.46, compared
to the national median cost of $181.53.
“The program has the potential to make an even larger long-term impact on energy
efficiency because of its focus on educating and modifying the behavior of
students and staff,” said MidAmerican Energy’s Dave McCammant, an energy
efficiency product manager. “The program also has provided a model for the
community and other school districts.”
In addition to simply turning off the lights in unused rooms, students and staff
have reduced or discontinued the classroom use of coffee pots, refrigerators,
electric space heaters and fans when they are not necessary for the curriculum.
To provide incentives for schools in the district to reduce energy use by
changing habits and behaviors, Davenport Community Schools awarded ten computers
per year for the last two years to schools with the greatest energy savings.
Reports also are regularly sent to principals and administrative officers and
are used as trouble-shooting guides or as positive reinforcement for staff and
students.
MidAmerican Energy Company, Iowa’s largest energy company, provides electric
service to 706,000 customers and natural gas service to 687,000 customers in
Iowa, Illinois, Nebraska and South Dakota. It is headquartered in Des Moines,
Iowa. Information about MidAmerican is available on the Internet at
http://www.midamericanenergy.com.
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