Iowa Interfaith Power & Light

Success Stories

Iowans are already taking simple steps in their homes to reduce their global impact and save hundreds on their electrical bills. This page highlights just a few families and individuals who, through simple steps, managed to reduce their global impact and save hundreds of dollars. To view profiles of what congregations in Iowa have done, click here.
Ann and Barry

Ann and Barry

Ann and Barry are saving $100/month. By investing only $12, they reduced their carbon footprint by 10%. This is how they did it:

Changed 5 light bulbs to CFLs

Shut off lights in rooms that were not in use

Turned their air conditioner up 2 degrees and closed off rooms not in use

Washed clothes in cold water, not hot

Line-dried 5 of the 14 loads of laundry they do each week

Liane

Liane reduced her carbon footprint by 9% in 2007 by:

Changing ten lights to CFLs

Turning the lights off in rooms not in use

Purchasing an Energy Star refrigerator

Closing vents to three unused rooms in the basement

Turning off the pilot light in her gas fireplace during the summer

In doing so she:

Received a $75 rebate from Cedar Falls Utilities for the new refrigerator

Saves $221 per year on electricity and natural gas

Saves $30 over the lifetime of each bulb, totaling $300

Kate

Kate is saving $600 a year! Her family reduced their carbon footprint by 10% and their electric use by 50% through changing light their bulbs.

Here is how:

Spent $200 on CFLs to replace 75% of her bulbs

She recouped her investment in just 4 months!

The Barclays

By employing common energy saving measures available to homeowners today, the Barclays cut their home heating fuel use by 31% and electricity use by 15%, saving $524 in one year and preventing 7,500 pounds of carbon dioxide. Click here to read their story.

The Guys

The Guy family had already taken steps to reduce their energy use over the years, but through the Cool Congregations program they found many other measures to try, cutting their emissions by 19% and saving $500 over two years. Click here to read their story.

How About You?

What are you doing to reduce your carbon footprint? We would love to hear about it. Want to try it yourself? Calculate your carbon footprint: Click here.