From appliances to heating and cooling to insulation and weatherization -- small changes can mean big energy savings. Butler County REC offers members a variety of incentives for new equipment purchases and energy-efficiency upgrades. Download a form and return to us for your rebate.
For answers to any questions, please contact us ahead of purchasing or installing equipment.
Call our Energy Efficiency Department at 319.267.2726 or 888.267.2726 or send us an email.
Note: This page includes downloadable files that are in Adobe PDF format and require Adobe Acrobat Reader. You can download Acrobat Reader free of charge from Adobe's website. This is a safe, fast, and easy installation. If you prefer to receive printed copies of these forms from us, please contact our office at 319.267.2726 or 888.267.2726 or send us an email.
Why We Support Energy Efficiency
Iowa’s locally owned electric cooperatives have a long history of supporting energy efficiency; in fact, we’ve been offering cost-effective energy-efficiency programs since the late 1980s. These programs include rebates and incentives for various energy-efficient products, such as appliances, lighting, and water heaters. Butler County REC also offers programs designed to reduce electric demand, such as installing load control receivers. Additionally, your electric cooperative continues to upgrade facilities to maximize efficiency, including more efficient transformers and upgrades to substations. Generating, transmitting, and distributing electricity more efficiently helps Butler County REC manage costs more effectively, ultimately resulting in lower utility bills for our members.
Iowa’s electric cooperatives support energy efficiency as part of our continuing commitment to the cooperative principles. First, every electric cooperative is democratically controlled by its members, who elect local representatives from among themselves to serve on the cooperative board. These board members, in turn, actively participate in governance and long-term decision-making, including investments in energy-efficiency programs. By maintaining local control over energy efficiency, these programs can be tailored to meet the specific needs of the members and communities we serve.
Second, electric cooperatives understand the value of education and training. As co-op employees and board members continually receive training to become better equipped to manage day-to-day operations, co-ops also work hard to provide information and education to our members on energy-efficient products and services and how to effectively manage your energy use.
Third, electric cooperatives work hard to maintain and enhance the communities we serve. Energy-efficiency programs can help reduce additional electricity purchases or the need to build additional electric generation, which works to minimize energy costs for our members.
Finally, electric cooperatives work in cooperation with other cooperatives to more effectively deliver energy-efficiency programs to members. By partnering with other cooperatives, energy-efficiency programs can be developed and delivered more effectively and at a lower cost than Butler County REC could do alone.
Working together with other community-focused cooperatives, Butler County REC assesses the costs and benefits of each program to determine what to offer to our members. We perform four benefit-cost tests to determine the cost-effectiveness of the program. First, the participant-cost test determines whether the program is cost-effective from the perspective of the participant in the program. Second, the utility-cost test determines whether the program is cost-effective from the perspective of Butler County REC. Third, the rate-payer-impact-cost test, also referred to as the RIM test, determines whether the program is cost-effective from the perspective of co-op members who do not participate in the program. Finally, the societal test determines whether the program is cost-effective from the perspective of society in general.
Ultimately, Butler County REC invests in energy-efficiency programs to benefit the communities we serve. If you have questions, concerns or would like to learn more about energy efficiency, please contact us at 888.267.2726 and ask to speak with an energy services advisor or the energy services manager.