Do energy and fuel costs have you worried? Do you want to do something to make your home more energy efficient, but don’t know where to start? Learn how to lessen energy costs on Saturday, Oct. 6, on the Cedar Valley Solar/Energy Efficiency Tour. Several homes and businesses in Cedar Falls, Waterloo and Waverly will open their doors to the public and offer a glimpse of the cost savings available to those who use alternative energy sources. The tour is organized by the UNI Center for Energy and Environmental Education (CEEE).
Participants may visit tour sites any time during the hours listed for each site. According to Carole Yates, local tour organizer at the CEEE, “Tour participants will get ideas they can use to make their own homes or businesses more energy efficient.” They will also learn first hand how solar hot water and solar photovoltaic systems work, how geothermal systems heat and cool homes, why concrete homes are energy efficient, see Iowa’s first “green” building, and visit the Waverly Light & Power House of Green.
The Center for Energy and Environmental Education is open from 1 - 4 p.m. and is located just south of the UNI Performing Arts Center. At the center you will tour the energy efficient building, see a 900-watt photovoltaic installation, a solar boat, a solar lawn mower and more.