New Dubuque elementary school reduces environmental impact

Alliant Energy’s design assistance provides energy-saving results

The effect that Dubuque’s new George Washington Carver Elementary School is having on its local community goes far beyond the education it provides within the classroom. When the two-story, 63,800 square-foot school was built, the school district made energy efficiency a top priority, and the new school is now saving enough energy each year to power about 70 Dubuque homes.

In order to achieve these savings, Carver Elementary participated in Alliant Energy’s Commercial New Construction (CNC) program. The CNC program provided the school with free energy design assistance and cash incentives for incorporating energy-efficient measures into the building’s design before construction began.

“By helping the school evaluate cost-effective energy-efficient technologies, we were able to significantly reduce their expected energy usage, giving the school district additional dollars to spend on educational resources for the classroom, such as computers and textbooks,” said Craig Clefisch, strategic account manager with Alliant Energy.

Alliant Energy’s CNC program helped Carver Elementary decrease its annual electricity consumption by approximately 60 percent, saving more than 800,000 kWh of electricity each year. The savings came from a variety of energy-efficient options, including a ground source heat pump, occupancy sensors, as well as highly efficient roof and wall insulation.

On top of the energy savings the school will continue to see each year, Carver Elementary received more than $120,000 in energy efficiency rebates. The school can also be proud of its environmental impact. The annual CO2 savings that result from the school’s commitment to energy efficiency is equivalent to taking about 120 cars off the road or growing about 14,000 tree seedlings.

The Commercial New Construction program is available to Alliant Energy’s retail electric and/or natural gas customers in Iowa. To qualify, new commercial buildings and building renovation projects must be located within Alliant Energy’s Iowa service territory. For more information, visit www.alliantenergy.com/newconstruction or call 1-866-ALLIANT.

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