New Kirkwood certificate program aims to build knowledge and skills for home and business
For savvy homeowners, the phrase “green energy” means savings of real greenbacks.
For those homeowners, small business operators and everyone interested in new strategies to save energy and money, Kirkwood Community College will present a new Energy Efficiency Consumer Education program. A series of five short-format courses will give people practical tips and tools to make homes, offices and other buildings more energy efficient.
Classes in the Energy Efficiency Consumer Education program include: Energy Audit Concepts, Weatherization and Your Home, Retrofitting Existing Structures to Reduce Energy Costs, Upgrading HVAC Systems to Reduce Energy Consumption, and Energy Star—How It Saves You Money!
The new class series was developed by Kirkwood and the CIPCO system of energy cooperatives: Linn County Rural Electric Cooperative, Maquoketa Valley Electric Cooperative, East-Central Iowa Rural Electric Cooperative, and Eastern Iowa Light & Power. Members of the participating electric cooperatives can submit certificates of attendance for one or all of the program courses and receive a credit for one-half of course tuition as a credit on their monthly energy bill.
Tuition for each class is just $19, with grant support to ensure accessibility to as many attendees as possible. A package of five of the core energy efficiency classes is available for $95. With the one-half tuition credit from their respective cooperative, participants can gain five courses of energy efficiency knowledge for under $50.
The classes are supported by a grant from the Iowa Power Fund Board and Iowa Office of Energy Independence. Customers of the participating electric cooperatives can submit certificates of attendance for one or all of the program courses and receive a credit for one-half of course tuition as a credit on their monthly energy bill. Persons who finish each course will receive certificates of completion for verification with their respective cooperative.
Additionally, Kirkwood Community College has worked in partnership with Water Tower Place to develop “The Green Roof is Growing.” Another opportunity for business owners and developers to learn about return on investment potential and opportunities for significant social, economic and environmental benefits. The class will be held at Water Tower Place with a tuition of $19. This class is not part of the Energy Efficiency Consumer Education Certificate.
More information and registration for the Energy Consumer Certificate Series is available on the Kirkwood website:
www.kirkwood.edu/ce