Dive Brief:

• Alliant Energy has won the Iowa Utilities Board’s blessing to scale back its energy efficiency plans. Under its new goals, Alliant will attempt to save 1.1% in retail sales each year over the next five years. The utility’s current goal is 1.3% and its recent performance reached 1.4% of sales.
• The new goals represent less than half the efficiency progress possible through cost-effective means, according to the utility’s own 2012 analysis.
• Alliant is simultaneously planning a new $920 million power plant in Marshalltown, Iowa.

Dive Insight:

Energy efficiency took a hit in what appears to be a growing trend for some utilities and large customers to scale back their commitments to programs. A silver lining in Iowa appears to be the board’s refusal to let large industrial users opt out of the program.

“Energy efficiency creates jobs and is the most cost effective way to meet demand for power, but instead we are taking the expensive path of new power plants,” said Josh Mandelbaum, staff attorney for the intervener Environmental Law & Policy Center.