Alliant Energy news release
Alliant Energy activates cycling program in response to today’s heat
Appliance Cycling program helps reduce costs for customers
CEDAR RAPIDS, Iowa – July 18, 2019 – Alliant Energy’s Iowa energy company is taking proactive steps to reduce costs for customers because of today’s heat.
Energy prices can increase during intensely hot days like today. To reduce the impact of rising energy prices on monthly bills we are activating our voluntary Appliance Cycling program for Thursday and continue to monitor the weather forecast to determine if it is needed for Friday too.
We will remotely control central air conditioners for participating customers in the central and southern zone in Iowa. This applies to electric, residential customers located along and south of Highway 20, extending to the southern border of the state.
Participants will see their central air conditioner cycled in 15-minute intervals from 1 p.m. to 7 p.m. The blower fan will continue to circulate the cooler air already in the home.
The program reduces peak energy use on the overall energy grid, which lowers costs for customers. The last time we activated the program was July 12, 2018.
Who does this affect – This is a voluntary program for Alliant Energy’s Iowa residential customers.
When does this start and stop – The cycling goes from 1 p.m. to 7 p.m., July 18, 2019.
How do customers save money – Our program syncs air conditioners across the state to reduce the number running at any one time. This reduces the amount of energy we need to generate or purchase on peak days. The energy cost, or fuel cost, line item on bills reflects the cost of generating and purchasing energy for customers, which changes every month based on actual costs.
Residential customers who have enrolled their central air conditioning unit get a credit on their bill of $8 per month from June through September – even if it doesn’t get warm enough to cycle appliances.
Learn more at alliantenergy.com/appliancecycling.