Iowa Energy Summit 2007
Energy and Iowa's Environment

October 4, 2007 - Airport Holiday Inn, Des Moines, IA

The 2007 Iowa Energy Summit received superb reviews from the record number of attendees this year.

Des Moines Mayor Frank Cownie, one of nearly 300 mayors nationwide who are taking the initiative in their cities on the environment and energy, spoke about Global Warming and Energy Conservation. The mayor has formed a task force in Des Moines focusing on Energy Conservation and the Environment. The mission of the taskforce states that "The City of Des Moines will lead the greater metropolitan community by example through energy and environmental practices, policies and ordinances that encourage the use of sustainable energy, and protect and preserve the area's natural resources for the benefit of future generations."

Lynnae Hentzen, Executive Director with the Center on Sustainable Communities, presented on the impacts of residential energy use and practices to incorporate into construction and remodeling to increase efficiency.

A summary of the Iowa Power Fund was given by Roya Stanley, Director of the Iowa Office of Energy Independence (OEI). OEI was established by the Iowa Legislature in 2007 to coordinate the state's activities concerning energy independence. Its goals of achieving a sustainable energy future include providing leadership through education the public, planning and investment, and developing policies and resources to produce market transformation.

Senator Rob Hogg and Representative Chuck Soderberg provided a brief overview of the Iowa Legislature's Interim Energy Efficiency Study Committee Energy. The committee is comprised of ten senators and representatives and was established to address three key items: economic concerns, energy security issues, and climate change.

Shannon Fisk of the Natural Resources Defense Counsel highlighted the current environmental warning signs of global warming on Earth and predicted its future consequences. He reviewed different strategies for mitigating these effects, including increasing the usage of renewable forms of energy, enhanced energy conservation, and cutting U.S. carbon dioxide emissions by 60-80 percent by 2050. Among Shannon's recommendations for augmenting conservation efforts were reforming utility incentives through decoupling mechanisms, increasing appliance efficiency standards, and strengthening residential and commercial building codes.

EPA's Energy Star Program Manager Sam Rashkin spoke about Energy Star. With its practically invisible start in 1996, ENERGY STAR has become the most recognized symbol of high performance homes today. During that time housing has had an unprecedented growth, and builders now have program options including Health House, Green Build and LEED. Debunking the 10 Key Myths about energy efficiency, Sam addressed the new market developments, and showed how the new ENERGY STAR is an even greater opportunity for builders, especially during the current market downturn.

Hossein Haeri from Quantec, LLC gave IAEE members an early look at the results from the investor owned utilities' Joint Assessment of Energy and Capacity Savings Potential. The estimated cost to achieve all economic potential savings is over $600 million for electricity and over $750 million for natural gas. These numbers are estimates that necessarily rely on many assumptions. It appears that there are large opportunities in the residential market for efficiency in the areas of: appliances, lighting, heating and cooling.

Jack Dienna, Executive Director of the Geothermal Heat Pump National and International Initiative (GEO-NII) out of Washington DC, wrapped up the event. By using the slogan "The Energy Under Our Feet" and "On The Road To 30%", the goal is clear: Energy Independence, Environmental Security, and Economic Prosperity. Jack states, "It`s not magic, it`s thermodynamics." By using a 60 year old technology, the entire U.S. is suitable for geothermal heat pumps. Geothermal is currently less than one percent of the market share. " With just one percent of the market, we have seen emission reductions of 6 million tons of CO2 per year and eliminated importing 21 million barrels of crude oil annually. That is like taking 1,294,696 cars off the road or planting 513,598,604 trees"!

The IAEE Board of Directors would like to thank the Iowa Energy Center, Alliant Energy, Mid American Energy, Aquila, Consumers Energy, and Central Iowa Power Cooperative for supporting this event.