FY25 Proposed Budget

• Developed a household checklist of incentives under the Inflation Reduction Act widely distributed to residents and now utilized in other communities. • Collaborated with the Iowa City Public Library on the purchase of an electric-assist cargo “Book Bike.”

Upcoming Challenges:

• Elimination of the Emergency Levy will limit our ability to grow programs that have been successfully piloted or introduce new programing called for in the Accelerating Iowa City’s Climate Action plan. • The Inflation Reduction Act contains energy efficiency incentives for homeowners but is difficult for landlords or renters to access, leaving more than half of Iowa City’s households unable to tap into this source of federal tax credits and rebates. • MidAmerican Energy achieved 100% renewable energy for ratepayers in 2022 – which is a fantastic accomplishment and great benefit to Iowa City! – but to continue to make progress toward our emissions reductions goals will require more difficult work focused on beneficial electrification on a household by household basis. • Supply chain issues related to solar panels, EV charging equipment, and air source heat pumps are easing somewhat but continue to result in delays for both municipal and residential grant-funded projects. • Elimination of MidAmerican Energy’s incentive program for electric vehicle charging stations necessitates absorbing some of the equipment costs into our EV charging grant program for multi-family residences in addition to the installation costs previously covered under the program. • Augmenting diversity, equity, and inclusion throughout climate action initiatives. • Determining how best to build an energy benchmarking program for Iowa City buildings following state legislation prohibiting building performance standards, the next logical step.

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