Alliant Energy initiates appliance cycling in the Decorah area

Alliant Energy cycled air conditioners for participating Iowa customers, including those in the Decorah area, from 1:00 p.m. until 7:00 p.m. Tuesday.

Weather conditions meant customers enrolled in the Appliance Cycling Program had their air conditioner cycled in 15 minute intervals to reduce overall energy usage.

More than 40,000 customers of Alliant Energy north of Interstate 80 in Iowa were affected by the move, which reduced energy usage by an estimated 30 megawatts.

Participating customers have a small control switch placed on or near their central air conditioner.  The control switch will cycle the outdoor cooling unit off and on every 15 minutes.  The furnace fan will continue to circulate the cooler, drier air already in the home.

Alliant Energy pays each participating customer $8 per month from June through September – whether the air conditioner is cycled or not. A similar program for electric water heaters is also included in Tuesday's event.  Customers enrolled in that program receive a $2 per month discount during the same June through September time period.

This is the second cycling event in Iowa this year. These same customers were part of a cycling event on Monday.