Marion Middle School Recognized for Energy Efficiency

Marion middle school receives $273,000 rebate from Alliant Energy.

The new school shows how adjusting windows to allow more daylight can reduce energy usage. The school also features a white roof to help reduce heat gain in the summer and geo-thermal heating and cooling throughout the building.

“The best part of the new building is that we’ve been able to install air-conditioning and do it efficiently,” superintendent Sarah Pinion stated in a press release. “Many older schools across Iowa still don’t have air-conditioning because it’s too costly to renovate or run. We’ve done it responsibly and are happy with the results.”

A typical building of this size, without the energy-efficient technology would spend about $250,000 a year in energy costs. This technology will help the district save more than $150,000 a year in energy. In addition to the energy savings, this project qualified for an incentive of $273,757 through Alliant Energy’s Commercial New Construction program.