Help is available to pay energy bills

If you need financial help with your energy bills during this difficult time, there are resources to help.

Due to COVID-19, the federal government has increased energy assistance funding to several programs, including LIHEAP (Low-Income Home Energy Assistance Program).

Crisis funding is now available to income-qualified households. You can apply for crisis funding even if you have already applied for or received LIHEAP benefits.

We encourage customers to apply now because funds are limited.

For LIHEAP information including application deadlines and updated guidelines, visit the following links:

• Iowa
• Wisconsin

The Hometown Care Energy Fund also helps income-qualified customers. For information,

• Iowa: Call 211 or contact your Community Action Agency.
• Wisconsin: Call 211 or contact your County Energy Assistance office.

You can learn more about all available resources by visiting alliantenergy.com/energyassistance.

We are here to help you. We are all powering though, together.

 

Safe digging: Know what’s below and help flatten the curve

April is Safe Digging Month.

With warming weather and health guidelines to shelter in place, more people may be thinking about doing home projects.

During the COVID-19 crisis, it’s particularly important to call 811 and know what’s below before digging.  

The virus response means that hospitals and first responders are already stretched thin. They are on duty every day, caring for those who are or could potentially be ill. Utility personnel are also on duty around-the-clock to make sure our gas and electric services continue to be reliable. Using safe digging practices can prevent unnecessary injuries and trips to the emergency room, which in turn would avoid stressing these critical resources and possibly exposing them to the virus.

We urge everyone involved in home or business digging activities to exercise extreme caution. There are thousands of miles of underground utility lines in our area –- including buried gas, electric, communications, water and sewer lines — so people need to prepare before digging underground.

We encourage residents and contractors to:

• Call 811 beforehand
• Wait several days until lines are fully marked before starting to dig
• Practice safe physical distancing while working outside

Our health-care workers and first responders cannot afford additional strains on their resources. Taking these steps adds up to one more safety measure that can help flatten the curve.

Alliant Energy gives $2 million to Hometown Care Energy Fund

Alliant Energy is making a $2 million donation to its Hometown Care Energy Fund. The fund assists customers that need financial help to pay their bill.

We know that many customers may face financial hardship due to the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic. This contribution shows our ongoing commitment to serve customers in Iowa and Wisconsin and help those in need.

The Hometown Care Energy Fund is supported annually with funds from Alliant Energy shareowners, as well as voluntary contributions from employees, retirees and customers.

“We know that many customers need help paying their bill or may need additional help due to the pandemic,” said Linda Mattes, Vice President of Customer and IT Operations at Alliant Energy. “We are coming together with customers, employees, retirees and shareowners to help our neighbors.”

We partner with nonprofit organizations in Wisconsin and Iowa to distribute the funds. Customers can review income eligibility requirements and apply for funding as follows:

• Wisconsin: Contact the County Energy Assistance office
• Iowa: Contact the Community Action Agency

If you or someone you know is having difficulty paying a bill, visit our new My Account site to set up a payment plan based on ability to pay. On My Account, customers can also set up fee-free credit card payments, review account information and report outages.

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

More information on the Hometown Care Energy Fund can be found at alliantenergy.com/hometowncare.

For tips to reduce energy use and save money, Alliant Energy shares 10 tips.

Alliant Energy 2019 community support totals $7.25 million

Alliant Energy supported the communities we serve in Iowa and Wisconsin with $7.25 million and thousands of volunteer hours in 2019.

Support included:

• $2 million in community grants and sponsorships
• More than 140 scholarships
• 92,701 employee and retiree volunteer hours
• Over 1,000 community partnerships
• 85 million meals generated

“Our purpose is to serve customers and build stronger communities,” said Julie Bauer, Executive Director of the Alliant Energy Foundation. “These partnerships bring our purpose to life and strengthen the communities we call home.”

Our support focuses on four areas: Helping Families, Education, Environment and Safety.

Helping Families

We strongly support food pantries. In 2019, our nutrition-related giving was enough to generate 1.85 million meals. Our annual Drive Out Hunger event united business partners against hunger and raised $450,000, enough to provide 1.35 million meals.

We provided grocery coupons to 255 students per week with the Backpack Nutrition Program in Waushara County, Wis.

Employees volunteered with Habitat for Humanity in several communities, including Marshalltown, Iowa, where they rebuilt tornado-damaged homes.

Education

Great education strengthens communities and builds a future workforce. Our support of STEM (science, technology, engineering and math) gives all students a chance to thrive.

Our partnership with Maydm in Madison, Wis. engages youth from underrepresented communities to pursue future careers in STEM. The grant allows 100 students to attend innovation sessions. These students are primarily girls and youth of color.

We partnered with Iowa State University Extension and the Iowa 4-H Foundation on a new program called InventSTEM. We also funded 100 classroom kits that focus on wind energy and give 80,000 students across the state an experience in STEM.

Environment

Alliant Energy prioritizes environmental health. We partnered with Trees Forever on their Growing Futures program. This program employs at-risk youth to plant and maintain trees. Our support kicked off the program in Cedar Rapids, Iowa. The program will provide 500 new trees and more than 30 jobs for local teens.

Safety

Communities are safer thanks to Hometown Safety Grants that help communities purchase equipment for first responders. In North Central Iowa, the company’s $10,000 gift to the Regional Emergency Commission equipped first responders with much-needed gas monitors. These devices alert fire fighters to toxic or combustible conditions and protect them as they protect communities.

Community Support

Alliant Energy’s Hometown Care Energy Fund provided $2 million to customers who need assistance to pay their bill. Our employees and retirees gave over $1 million to nonprofit organizations, food pantries, disaster relief efforts and other causes in their communities. The Alliant Energy Foundation supported employee giving and provided an additional $855,000 in matching gifts.

The Alliant Energy Foundation is an independent and nonprofit philanthropic organization funded solely by shareowner dollars from Alliant Energy Corporation.

We will continue to monitor new information and evaluate community needs during the coronavirus (COVID-19) health crisis. Visit Alliant Energy’s COVID-19 resource page for more information.

For more information about Alliant Energy and the Alliant Energy Foundation, visit alliantenergy.com.

Alliant Energy partners with Iowa State to create face shields for hospitals

We are partnering with a team of Iowa State University students to manufacture and distribute face shields to medical professionals at hospitals in Iowa.

Hospitals need more personal protective equipment due to the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic. This collaborative effort will provide shields for hospital staff to use, helping to save lives while preventing the spread of the virus. This support is part of our continued commitment to assisting the communities they serve.

The face shields are being printed on 3D printers at Iowa State University’s Computation and Construction Lab (CCL) within the College of Design.

Alliant Energy is funding the 3D printing and donating the supplies to Iowa State. The company will also be distributing the face shields to hospitals across Iowa. The team hopes to manufacture up to 2,000 shields.

“Alliant Energy is committed to serving and helping our customers and communities,” said Linda Mattes, Vice President of Customer and IT Operations at Alliant Energy. “We’re proud to partner with Iowa State University during this health crisis to help prevent the spread of the coronavirus and save lives.”

Two of our employees were inspired by Gov. Kim Reynolds’ comments during a recent press conference on the use of 3D printers. They reached out to Iowa State University, and the opportunity to empower architecture students to innovatively create protective face shields for use in local hospitals arose.

Shelby Doyle, assistant professor of architecture and co-founder of Iowa State’s Computation and Construction Lab, is leading the effort of eight Iowa State students to manufacture the shields. According to a news release issued by Iowa State University, the students work in rotating shifts in a ‘socially distanced’ assembly line to put the parts of the shields together. It takes two to three hours to print the parts for each face shield.

“The student employees are making the best of a really challenging moment where a lot of us feel really helpless as we watch this pandemic unfurl,” Doyle said. “Fabricating face shields is a small way for us to engage that’s within our capabilities.”

Thirty 3D printers are being used to create parts for the face shields. The students are 3D printing the top and bottom segments of the shields while adding a clear plastic cover and elastic band to secure around a person’s head.

Each student wears gloves and continuously disinfects the work area and materials. Upon completion, the shields are disinfected again before being placed in sealed containers.

In addition to funding the face shield project, we’ve recently donated over 800 N95 masks to medical facilities and organizations in Iowa.

We will continue to monitor new information and evaluate community needs during the health crisis.

Visit Alliant Energy’s COVID-19 resource page for more information.