Rebates, Smart Energy, and Green Initiatives
Rebates
The City of Ames offers many different kinds of rebates. These include rebates such as energy efficient appliance rebates, electric vehicle charger rebates, photovoltaic (solar) panel rebates, rain garden rebates, rain barrel rebates, and much more.
Home Energy Audit
The City of Ames offers free home energy audits to help identify ways to save on energy costs. If you are interested in scheduling an audit, please contact our Energy Services Coordinator at 515-239-5177.
Renewable Energy
The City of Ames is committed to becoming a more sustainable organization, promoting conservation, and encouraging renewable energy. To learn more regarding the City of Ames's different goals, initiatives, and projects towards this commitment, click here.
SunSmart Solar
SunSmart is a 2MW community solar farm between Airport Road and Highway 30. The project makes clean solar energy more accessible to customers with shaded roofs, those who live in apartments, rent their homes, or for any other reason cannot install solar panels on their own property.
Customers of Ames Electric Services can buy shares in the solar farm, called “Power Packs.” Each Power Pack is a one-time investment and represents 175W of generating capacity. The original price of Power Packs was $300. Each year, the price of the Power Packs will be reduced by $15 to reflect the years remaining in the contract term.
Owners of Power Packs will receive monthly credits on their utility bill. Bill credits are expected to average around $1 per month and are based on the actual production of the solar farm for the duration of the 20-year contract. Achieving a payback is possible, depending on how much the sun shines. People typically do not sign up for SunSmart to make money, but to use green, renewable, sustainable electricity.
If you are interested in signing up for SunSmart or learning more, please click here. Additionally, you can view a real-time and historic output of the SunSmart Solar Farm here.
Smart Energy
Smart Energy provides information on our rebate programs as well as educational information aimed at improving comfort, reducing electric bills, improving the efficiency of your energy use, and reducing greenhoues gas emissions. Additionally, you can find out how to perform a home energy audit yourself. For more details, click here.