There is still time to register for the 2016 Business & Finance Conference to be held at the Embassy Suites, Des Moines, on February 3rd & 4th.

Click here to register.

Registration for The Complete Watt-Hour Metering Workshop, February 8-12, is still open!

Mistakes, tampering, and improper operation can turn your watt-hour meters into a large source of revenue loss! Gain valuable information on how to keep your meters humming with this workshop. 


This workshop will be conducted  by Larry Chapman of Chapman Metering. Mr. Chapman is a highly regarded expert on watt-hour meters, and is a strong supporter of IAMU and Iowa’s municipal utilities.

Learn how to keep your meters “in the black” with this workshop. A solid review of the Basics, combined with in-depth study of installation, troubleshooting, and tampering.

Participants should bring their laptop computers to take full advantage of this opportunity.

To register, please click here.

OSHA requires a competent person be on-site at every excavation.  The competent person is required to evaluate site safety and resolve existing and potential hazards.

This workshop is an excellent opportunity to become qualified as a competent person (or stay current with the responsibilities).

The DNR has approved 0.6 CEUs for WD and WW only.

To register, please click here.

Registration is now open for the IAMU Advanced Water Treatment Workshop and Advanced Water Distribution Workshop scheduled for March 2-3, 2016.

Each day is good for 0.5 CEUs towards renewal/certification.

To view the full agenda and to register click here.

We often use the term “Confined Space” loosely to also include “Permit-Required Confined Space” but the difference is that one space is regulated by OSHA and the other is not, one of the spaces has a hazard(s) associated with it and the other does not. The OSHA standard 1910.146 (c)(1) requires that employers evaluate the workplace, meaning the buildings, grounds, equipment or materials, to determine if any of those spaces meet the definition of a PERMIT-REQUIRED CONFINED SPACE.  In order for any space to meet this criteria, it must first meet the 3 elements of a CONFINED SPACE.

IAMU’s nominating committee is currently looking for interested parties to fill a vacant position on its board of directors starting immediately.

All director positions on the IAMU Board are “at large”, but we do consider a variety of criteria when evaluating potential candidates in an effort to maintain a balance of perspectives. In doing so we will consider many criteria including but not limited to: educational background, work experience, gender, race, utility location, type of utility represented, and size of community represented. The selected candidate will fill a three year term from March 1, 2016 – February 28, 2019. While directors can leave at any time we are particularly interested in people who, after some transition period, are willing to consider serving on the executive board, ultimately culminating in being president.

Online registration is now open for the 5th Annual IAMU Municipal Broadband Conference. This year’s two-day event will be held March 30 & 31, 2016 in a new venue, the Holiday Inn and Suites Northwest at 4800 Merle Hay Road in Des Moines. That’s north of the Ramada Tropics, which hosted the event for the first four years.  Curtis Dean, IAMU Broadband Services Coordinator, says the new venue is a result of attendance growth and the desire to have more room for the vendor show. The Holiday Inn and Suites also agreed to match the outstanding low room rate of just $55.00 per night for a standard room.  Room reservations should be made directly at the Holiday Inn and Suites at 515-278-4775.  Ask for the IAMU room block when reserving your room.

The 5th Annual IAMU Municipal Broadband Conference is filled with  educational workshop sessions and networking opportunities. This year, the concurrent sessions are organized into tracks:  Operations, Marketing & Customer Service, and Technical. Plus, we have added a track specifically for communities that are exploring the possibility of a community-owned broadband network.  This year’s vendor show is expected to be bigger and better than before, giving attendees opportunities to learn more about products and services your municipal broadband needs.

Registration for IAMU Members (Utility, Associate, and Affiliate) is $135.00 for the first company representative and $65.00 per additional registration.  Non-IAMU Members can register for $175.00 for the first person and $100.00 per additional person.  Companies that would like to sponsor the conference and have a tabletop display during the Vendor Show can also register online.  For more information, and to register, click here.

Iowa’s municipal gas and electric utilities continue to provide energy efficiency programs to help their customers save energy.  Between 2010 and 2014 municipal electric utilities spent $28,878,585 on energy efficiency/demand response, and these measures are projected to save 2,038,000 MWh over there lifetime.  The programs also reduced peak demand by 119 MW.  In the same period, municipal gas utilities spent $3,723,816 on energy efficiency, and the measures are projected to save 27,812,881 Therms over their lifetime.  In addition to saving customers energy, cost effective energy efficiency programs can help utilities lower the cost to serve their customers.  Typically the cost to save energy is less than the cost to produce an equivalent amount of energy.  In 2014 the median municipal utility cost to save electricity was just 1.7 cents per kWh.  Similarly the 2014 median cost to save natural gas was just 11.5 cents per Therm.

These results along with detailed results for each municipal utility were filed with the Iowa Utilities Board on December 31, 2015, in a biennial municipal utility energy efficiency report.  The report also contains new energy efficiency goals for 2016 and 2017.  This filing was made pursuant to Iowa Code 476.6 subsection 16, paragraph c.  The joint report is posted on IAMU’s website: http://members.iamu.org/?page=EE_Reporting.  Click on “2016 Biennial Energy Efficiency Report”.

Early Bird Registration for the 2016 IAMU Business & Finance Conference ends this Friday, January 22nd.

Take advantage of a reduced member rate and register today!

Click here to register.

January 20, 2016 marks the 125th anniversary of the founding of Harlan Municipal Utilities.  The electric and water divisions of the utilities were established by public vote on January 20, 1891.

Doug Hammer, Director of Marketing and Stakeholder relations at HMU said, “We are incredibly proud of this historic milestone. One hundred and twenty five years ago, the residents of Harlan saw how this wondrous new phenomena called electricity would help spur commerce, draw news business and overall contribute to the well‐being of the town and its residents. They were not going to just sit and wait for another provider to show up and offer service, they took the initiative to build and run their own light plant.

Hammer continued, “A limited water service via a public well had been in place for about 10 years and service was mostly for fighting fires down town. At the same election that established the electric utility, the public also voted to establish a water works utility to oversee and expand the water system.”

“As we look back and read the history of HMU, one becomes very grateful for the vision and bold action of the voters in 1891. They took a real risk but one that has paid dividends to the citizens of Harlan for the last 125 years. Harlan and HMU have grown and grown up together. We ask our customers and the town of Harlan to join us in celebration of our anniversary all through 2016.”

HMU began providing natural gas in 1954. The telecommunications division was established by public vote in 1995 making HMU one the few providers in Iowa that offer all four services.