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Energy to innovateWith Gas Prices Rising, an Iowa Man's Alternatives Keep Costs Down.Energy Bill Incentives Effective Jan. 1, 2006

Posted on: Monday, 12 December 2005, 18:00 CST

By Jonathan Wegner

GLIDDEN, Iowa -- In his attic, Wayne Herman stores a tall stack of 1970s board games with titles like Prize Property, Enemy Agent, Go For Broke and Royal Kismet.

The attic also holds one monster of a solar heat collector from about the same era the games are from. With 16 thick, black tubes snaking from solar panels in the roof to a little white box inside, this machine reminiscent of Medusa's head collects enough solar energy to keep the family's water hot.

The system is a product of Herman's fascination with energy efficiency, a passion he developed during the 1979 energy crisis.

"We had a terrible energy problem, and I decided, 'I'm going to look into this energy thing,'" he said. "But after the energy crisis got over, people forgot about it."

Over the years, Herman has tinkered with his solar-heating system in an attempt to make it more energy efficient. He also recently invested in newer systems and technology, including a hybrid car and a geothermal heating and cooling system.

Herman hopes the wave of the future becomes a blast from his past, because unlike the Bionic Crisis game gathering dust upstairs, something akin to the energy crisis is making a comeback. Oil topped $70 a barrel this fall, and now that gasoline prices and heating bills have soared, many Americans are sharing Herman's enthusiasm for energyefficient technology.

There are a growing number of reasons for the shift.

New credits and increased incentives for energy improvements have sprung up across the country. Many utility providers offer rebates or reduced rates to businesses and homeowners who install more efficient systems, and the federal government has passed an energy bill packed with tax credits for energy improvements and purchases. The federal credits become available Jan. 1.

Natural gas prices are another goal. They have risen more than 40 percent from last year for much of the Omaha metro area.

This environment reminds Herman of the period that piqued his interest in energy efficiency in the first place.

In the late 1970s, oil prices soared as the Iranian revolution caused panic about oil supplies, compounding energy problems that had begun in 1973. The ensuing price spike led then-President Carter to pass an energy bill that included tax incentives for everything from weatherproofing homes to installing solar cells.

Herman picked up two boxes of pamphlets and other literature from the Iowa Energy Council to learn about this new thing called "solar power." Then he figured out what he, a teacher, could afford to do.

He built his first solar unit in what now is a rental house, installing solar panels to collect and concentrate heat when he built an addition to the home. Fans blow air as hot as 114 degrees into the house. The system cut his heating bill from $80 to $68 a month.

"I had 50 percent more home, and the utilities went down instead of up."

Keith Kutz, administrative specialist for the Iowa Energy Center, said savings like those are drawing more homeowners to consider alternative energy systems. The center recently updated the "Home Series" brochures it first issued in the mid-1990s, Kutz said. This winter alone it has distributed tens of thousands of copies.

"That's a direct result of people being worried about the impact of high natural gas and heating costs this year," he said. "It's definitely moved from a back-burner type of issue to front-burner issue for a lot of people."

So there may be more Wayne Hermans out there soon.

For his part, Herman this year switched from a liquid propane furnace to a geothermal heat pump. He made the leap after learning he could get a $1,100 rebate from the Glidden Rural Electric Cooperative on his $9,750 investment.

He said the cooperative also charges him about 66 percent less for the electricity to run the heat pump. Those savings, he believes, will pay for the investment in about five years.

As an added boon, the system will cool the house in the summer, drawing out heat and storing it in the ground.

"We never had air conditioning before. It's going to be nice."

Although Herman keeps a meticulous log for his hybrid car to track his mileage and gas costs, someone so devoted to energy efficiency obviously is not in it just for the cost savings.

"I think if we're responsible citizens, we have to give back and not consume everything," Herman said. "If we don't conserve, it will cost our children and their children. I felt it was my responsibility as an informed citizen."

But it's also rewarding, he said, to know that he got nearly 60 miles per gallon on a recent trip to Minnesota. A south wind on Interstate 35 kept the hybrid's average down to 59.6 mpg, he said.

Judging by his little logbook, keeping track of his mileage is more fun than the dusty games in the attic.

Energy bill incentives effective Jan. 1, 2006

Up to 30% of the cost, or up to $2,000, for solar-powered hot- water systems. Tax credits: Up to $500 to upgrade thermostats, caulk leaks or stop energy waste. Up to $200 credit for installation of new exterior windows. Up to $300 for highly efficient central air conditioners, heat pumps or water heaters. Up to $150 for installation of a highly efficient furnace or boiler. A 10 percent investment tax credit for circulating fans and energy- efficient furnaces or hot water boilers. Up to $2,000 for solar photovoltaics. Check the Omaha Public Power District's Web site, http://ww1.oppd.com/lib/heatpump/excel/webpagecalc.xls, to calculate possible savings in energy costs from a heat pump. Energy bill incentives for new cars: Up to $4,000 for electric cars or those powered by rechargeable batteries. Tax credits for hybrid cars and lean-burn technology vehicles ranging from $1,700 to $3,000 tied to expected fuel savings. Sources: Energy Department; Aquila, MidAmerican Energy, OPPD

Source: Omaha World - Herald

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