Small Community's Efforts = Big Payoffs

Waverly Light and Power (WLP), a utility that serves just 4,600 customers in and around Waverly, Iowa, issued a report this month that demonstrates the tremendous impact that energy efficiency programs have had for the utility and the community, since they began in 1991.

Waverly's Accomplishments:

• Total demand reduction of 3.4 MW
• $6.2 million in customer savings
• $9 million in deferred capital costs

Also of note, is the recent increase in customer participation. Participation rates in the last five years are nearly triple those for the programs offered from 1992-2003.

Waverly's Program Portfolio

In 2009, 20 percent of the utility’s residential customers participated in one or more of the available rebate programs. WLP’s most popular residential program was its ENERGY STAR Change a Light Campaign. Other draws were WLP’s rebates for ENERGY STAR clothes washers and refrigerators. 94 percent of customers that took advantage of the refrigerator rebate also opted to recycle their old unit, compounding the savings to the utility.

Since its inception in the mid 1990’s, the Good Cents residential new construction program has been a large contributor to WLP’s MW savings. Good Cents provides incentives to homeowners and home contractors that follow the program’s standards, which include requirements for insulation, windows and doors and HVAC equipment, as well as a blower door test at the completion of construction. WLP’s Good Cents program yields approximately 1.5 Kw per home reduction on peak-coincident demand versus homes built to code, meaning WLP can serve five new Good Cents homes with the same capacity required to serve three homes built to code.

Keeping it Local

A unique feature of Waverly’s programs is that most rebates are issued in “Waverly Dollars,” a program of the local Chamber of Commerce that keeps dollars in the community and helps to boost sales for local businesses.

WLP manages all of its programs in-house and has one full-time energy efficiency program manager on staff.

View WLP's conservation analysis >>