Custom Rebates (Iowa)

Alliant Energy offers rebates for on-site customer-owned combined heat and power. The facility must consume 100% of the electrical and thermal power it generates. We determine the rebates based on the first year of energy dollar savings of the primary fuel serving the displaced thermal load.

Bottoming cycle plants convert thermal energy, for example the waste heat from an industrial process, into electricity.

Before you install combined heat and power systems, you must have a qualified engineering firm or installation contractor conduct a  Feasibility Study or site assessment of your facility. If your business qualifies, Alliant Energy will reimburse 50% of the preapproved study cost, up to $7,500. After your business has completed the Feasibility Study or site assessment, please submit the documentation to Alliant Energy for preapproval of the combined heat and power project.

Establishing a project’s baseline and calculating a rebate are not always simple tasks. In addition, not all projects qualify for an incentive. Before you make a commitment to proceed with a project, you must obtain preapproval from Alliant Energy.

The rebate calculation is as follows:

• $0.10 per kilowatt-hour saved.
• $200.00 per kilowatt saved.
• $1.00 per therm saved.

Custom rebates require a two-year minimum payback.

For a retrofit or replacement project, the baseline to calculate the incentive is generally the energy usage for the equipment replaced.

Energy dollar savings are actual savings and follow these guidelines:

• The baseline for replacing inoperative or worn equipment is the energy consumption of the equipment in its original condition.
• New equipment must meet minimum efficiency levels and we must preapprove it.
• Projects must demonstrate permanence or sustainability of savings.
• Savings resulting directly from reduced production or shutdown are not eligible.
• We calculate savings when production levels change based on a per-unit energy consumption before and after implementation.

Industrial facilities use energy much differently from commercial buildings. Processes and supporting systems including compressed air, refrigeration, heat rejection systems and steam use a significant amount of gas and electricity.

Alliant Energy offers design assistance of processes and supporting systems in addition to HVAC, lighting and building shell measures to help design efficiency into new industrial facilities or process expansions.