Energy is among least expensive ingredients for the holiday meal

Electricity is about three percent of the cost of a Thanksgiving meal

This Thanksgiving, cooks across Iowa and Wisconsin will all use one universal ingredient – energy. When compared to all the other ingredients for the big holiday meal, energy is one of the lowest cost items. This is especially true for customers of Alliant Energy.

“We’re thankful we can power our holiday traditions,” said Patricia Kampling, president and CEO of Alliant Energy. “We know how important electricity and natural gas are to making this meal possible.”

The cost of a turkey feast changes every year. The same is true for the cost of energy needed to cook the meal. This year, the American Farm Bureau Federation figures the average Thanksgiving meal for 10 people will cost $50.11.

For Alliant Energy customers, the average electricity cost to make Thanksgiving this year is around $1.50. If you are using gas appliances, the average cost is about $0.43.

Tips for an energy-efficient holiday:

• Let the furnace rest. If your holiday cooking doesn’t heat up your house, your guests will. Turn your thermostat down three to five degrees to save energy while staying comfortable.

• Skip the preheat. The turkey is traditionally stuffed early in the morning and roasted for hours. When cooking meats or dishes for several hours, there is no need to preheat your oven.

• Use glass or ceramic pans. They heat faster than metal pans, and you can lower the temperature by 25 degrees, reducing energy use.

• Cooking together saves energy. Cook as much of your meal at one time as possible. Foods with different cooking temperatures can be cooked together, if the temperature difference is less than 25 degrees.

•  Shut the oven door. This Thanksgiving, resist the urge to open the oven door and check the meal. One open of the door will decrease the temperature inside by 25 degrees. This means your oven has to use more energy to stay on temperature.

• Coast to the finish. Food keeps cooking even after you turn off the burner. When food is almost ready, turn off the oven or burners and let existing heat finish the cooking for you.

• Don’t overlook the microwave. Efficient microwaves use about half the energy of conventional ovens.

• Clean while its hot. If your oven needs a self-cleaning cycle, do it while the oven is still hot.

• Run a full load. Fill your dishwasher and you will use less hot water than doing them by hand.

 

Alliant Energy honored for gender parity on board of directors

 

Alliant Energy and Alliant Energy Chairman, President and CEO Patricia Kampling were recognized today by the Women’s Forum of New York at the third biennial Breakfast of Corporate Champions for achieving at least 40 percent female representation on the company’s board of directors.

Alliant Energy has a representation of 50 percent women on its board.

A total of 28 companies were honored nationally.

“Our goal is gender parity in the boardroom by 2025,” said Janice Ellig, Co-CEO of Chadick Ellig and chair of the event. “So we are giving special recognition to Alliant Energy, one of the true leaders in making this a reality. We need more visionaries like them.”

“The value of a diverse and inclusive board is beyond measure – good solutions become great solutions when broader perspectives reflect the interests of our customers and our investors,” said Kampling.

For more information about Alliant Energy, please visit alliantenergy.com, or learn more about the Women’s Forum of New York list of corporate champions.

Our case for modernizing the Riverside Energy Center

By John Larsen, president of Alliant Energy’s Wisconsin utility

The energy industry is evolving. Alliant Energy is embracing this transformation—which includes changing customer expectations—with a move toward cleaner, more efficient generation.

Right now, a critical piece of our long-term plan is our proposal to modernize the Riverside Energy Center in Rock County.  Once complete, this state-of-the-art facility, fueled by natural gas, will be the most advanced in the state and replace several aging, less efficient facilities in our system.

Combined-cycle, natural-gas generating facilities like the one we’re proposing are transforming power generation across the country because they’re efficient, save on fuel, and reduce emissions. According to SNL Financial, natural gas combined-cycle plants accounted for 26 percent of U.S. electricity generated from January through August 2015.

The addition of the modernized Riverside Energy Center will help lower energy costs in Alliant Energy’s service area and reduce overall energy prices across the state. On average, Riverside will be 40 percent more efficient than existing power generation in Wisconsin. These are some of the benefits that several customers, business partners and community leaders highlighted recently in their remarks of support to the Public Service Commission of Wisconsin.

The Riverside modernization will also be one of the largest economic development projects in Wisconsin, creating more than 1,000 jobs during each of the two-and-a-half years of construction, approximately 50 permanent positions and more than $250 million in total economic benefits. While the benefits will be far-reaching, the project will be a boost to the local community in particular, where we have proudly served for nearly a century.

Upgrading Riverside is a crucial step in our effort to develop a truly modern power generation system over the long-term.  We have an excellent track record of developing these plans, executing on them, and most importantly, keeping rates low for our customers and communities.

At Alliant Energy, we are planning for the future to ensure that the millions of homes and businesses that depend on us each day can continue to count on reliable, low cost energy for decades to come.

Hometown Care keeps people warm

When we think about a cold, snowy night, we imagine the comfort of our warm home. But this picture brings anxiety for many who wonder how they will pay their heating bills.

We recognize that our cold Midwest winters place an additional burden on limited-income families, and we believe that helping them is the right thing to do.

We’re making a donation of $2 million to our Hometown Care Energy Fund, which helps income-eligible customers across our service area with heating costs.

During the last heating season, Alliant Energy employees, retirees and customers contributed about $250,000. Alliant Energy shareowners also contributed $2 million. These combined funds helped roughly 7,000 local households with their energy costs.

“I’m proud that our Alliant Energy communities share our values of caring for those neighbors who struggle financially during the critical winter months,” said Patricia L. Kampling, Alliant Energy chairman, president and CEO.

The contributions by Alliant Energy’s shareowners are not included in the rates charged to utility customers.

Funds are distributed to customers by community action agencies in Iowa and by Energy Services Inc.’s Keep Wisconsin Warm/Cool Fund in Wisconsin.

Income-eligible Alliant Energy customers can apply for funding as follows:

• In Wisconsin, through their County Energy Assistance office
• In Iowa, through their Community Action Agency

For more information, visit alliantenergy.com/hometowncare.

Redesigned bill for Wisconsin customers is now available

What do you look for when you first open a bill? How much do I owe? When is my payment due? Who can I contact with questions? We’ve redesigned our bill so that the most important information is what you see first. The right half of the bill has all the information you need to pay your bill and get back to your day.

Use the left side of your bill to dig deeper. Simple, straightforward charts show your energy use compared to last year. Knowledge is power: use this data to help predict and moderate usage. For more information and samples of a residential, small business or commercial bill, visit alliantenergy.com/newbill.

Even more helpful tools are available when you activate My Account, our online account management tool. Log in to see in-depth summaries of your energy use, or sign up for billing-related text message alerts. Activate by visiting alliantenergy.com/myaccount.

Our Iowa customers will receive the redesigned bill and additional online payment options early next year.

More customers eligible for winter heating assistance

More customers with low-to-moderate household incomes will be eligible to receive heating assistance this year, thanks to a change in federal guidelines.

Funding from the Energy Assistance program can help pay heating bills or weatherize your home.

To find out if you are eligible:

• In Iowa: Call 1-866-674-6327 or visit iowa.gov
• In Wisconsin: Call 1-866-432-8947 or visit wi.gov

We encourage customers to apply now because funds for this heating season are limited.

Eligibility for Energy Assistance is not affected by utility account or home ownership status.