This mid-day workshop will help utilities and independent power producers plan strategically for the future and apply engineering economic principles when making decisions about new sources of renewable power and new transmission lines. The purpose of the workshop is to explore the fundamentals behind making economic decisions to purchase new sources of generation and build new transmission lines.

Multiple IAMU employees attended the previous SWEEET workshop in 2021, and would highly recommend any IAMU members attend this event who are interested in generation and transmission projects.

This workshop will focus on solving real-world problems in electricity planning. The workshop will explore the following topics:

• Introduction of Excel tool with newly designed user interface to calculate optimal power flow
• Real options for new sources of generation and additional transmission capacity
• A farmer’s decision to lease land for a wind turbine and the influence of risk aversion on the farmer’s decision

This workshop will be held on Monday, August 8, 2022 from 10 am – 2 pm in 2004 Black Engineering, Iowa State University, Ames, Iowa. Lunch will be provided.

Click HERE for a workshop agenda and more information about this event.

Registration: There is no registration fee, but registration prior to the workshop is required. To register, please send your name, affiliation, and email to Cameron MacKenzie, 515-294-6283, camacken@iastate.edu.  ​

For every 10 mph of increased speed, the risk of dying in a crash doubles. In addition, as your speed increases so does your risk of serious injuries and damage to vehicles and property. Learn more about how to stay safe on the road.

​Click here to read the EMC Loss Control Insights article.

Whether you have an existing Facebook page for your utility or are thinking of getting started on the social media platform, you want as many local followers as possible so that your posts have the most reach possible in your community. Buy how do you get people to follow you?
 
Here are few ideas:

• Add a link to your page from your website and in your email signature block. You can either include the page URL or use the Facebook icon and add the URL link to the image to call more attention to it. You can also add the URL to utility bills with a call to action to follow your Facebook page.
• Use the FLC formula. Follow, like, and comment (FLC). Go to local pages – maybe the city’s page, school district’s page, or the page of some other local group with a large following. Follow, like, or comment on posts and followers’ comments. Studies show that when you FLC, those individuals or groups often follow you back.
• Create shareable content. Think funny, informative, appealing, innovative, beneficial – anything that followers might share on their Facebook pages. If one follower with 1,000 Facebook friends shares your post, that gets your utility in front of many people who might then follow your page as a result.

Member Services Assistant
​
The Iowa Association of Municipal Utilities (IAMU) currently has an opening for a member services assistant. ​

Registration is open!
 
Location: the IAMU Training & Office Complex.
 
Who Should Attend?
All personnel responsible for responding to reports of natural gas leaks, investigating leaks, classifying leaks, determining if emergency conditions exist, determining leak repair priority and repairing leaks.
 
Additional information, brochure and online registration can be found HERE
 
IAMU updated payment options:
When registering for an IAMU event online you will be required to pay with a credit card or ACH transfer. 
The “Bill Me” option will no longer be accepted.
 
If you prefer to pay by check you may request a registration form be emailed to you if one is not provided online by contacting Ashley with IAMU at 515-289-1999 or email aulrich@iamu.org. 
 
Once IAMU receives the completed registration form and payment you will be registered for the event and an email confirmation will be sent.​

​If you have any questions, please contact Nick Vandegriff, IAMU Gas Services Compliance Specialist at nvandegriff@iamu.org, or (641) 919-8411.

In IAMU’s member communities, water facilities are critical infrastructure and are often among the largest consumers of energy. The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) is updating the Power Resilience Guide to include more information, tools, and case studies on implementing energy efficiency and renewable energy technologies at drinking water and wastewater utilities.

EPA is hosting two, two-part virtual workshops this summer to engage drinking water and wastewater utilities, water associations, state and federal agencies, and other stakeholders on the current practices, opportunities, and challenges in increasing energy efficiency measures and utilizing renewable energy to increase power resilience at water utilities. The first workshop for Energy efficiency at Water Utilities has passed, however there are great resources here on this workshop.

To register for the upcoming workshop on Renewable Energy At Water Utilities, click here.

For more information please view these documents:

• Flyer
  
• Agenda

OSHA has long recognized the potentially fatal hazard of working in excessive heat and you are probably aware of OSHA’s Heat Illness Prevention Campaign. This is an educational program designed to address the hazards of working in hot environments and requires that employers develop a written plan incorporating specific steps that must be taken for employee safety in those conditions. Heat conditions can change rapidly and management commitment to adjusting heat stress controls is critical to prevent heat illness.

We now have a program template that can be customized to address your specific working conditions and the steps you will take to prevent heat-related illnesses. An individual at the worksite should be responsible for monitoring conditions and implementing the employer's heat plan throughout the workday. A recording is also available to provide basic heat stress education for both employers and employees.
The Heat Stress / Illness Prevention written program is available HERE.  Please note, you must log into the website with your member credentials to access this content. For help accessing your account, please contact Josh Trout at jtrout@iamu.org or (800) 810-4268.
​
To access the webinar, click HERE.

Aaahh, July in Iowa, there is nothing quite like it. We’ve hit the heat and humidity time of year. With temperatures expected to reach over 100 degrees in some parts of the state this weekend, you may want to arm your customers with energy-saving tips to keep their homes as comfortable as possible without causing spikes in energy consumption.
 
Here are a few suggestions that you may want to post on your social media or provide to local radio stations to include on-air or local newspapers to include in the next issue. These tips below come from energy.gov. When looking for content, be sure to use information from credible, unbiased sources (think website extensions with .gov, .org., or .edu).
 

• Install window coverings to prevent heat gain through your windows during the day.
• Set your thermostat at a temperature you find comfortable and that provides humidity control, if needed. The smaller the difference between the indoor and outdoor temperatures, the lower your overall cooling bill will be.
• Turn off ceiling fans when you leave the room. Remember that fans cool people, not rooms, by creating a wind chill effect.