“Greatest Thing Ever.”
This message could be titled “How I Spent My Summer Vacation” even though a trip to central Iowa was not my first thought for a bit of relaxation or recreation.
I recently traveled with a small group to West Union, Iowa (pop. 2,500), an important destination for understanding how a community can provide lower cost heating and cooling while also improving its streetscape and revitalizing its downtown.
Beyond learning about their functioning thermal energy network and workable business model, we experienced a town that has embraced cooperation, local ownership, and new technology to preserve its way of life and to leave a lasting legacy for future generations. We came away as impressed by the “what” and “how” of their thermal energy network as by the community itself, what they value, and how they work together to get things done.
The people we met described their community as “built on partnerships and good intentions”—in short, “a handshake culture”—where developing a thermal energy network with decisions that are “locally made, locally-controlled makes sense and saves money.”
But it didn’t happen easily or overnight. “Change here takes time,” they told us. New ideas are met with “WHY?” and there are “always a couple of naysayers on City Council.” After more than a decade, town leaders acknowledge, “We would probably do some things differently now.”
They’re still working to help people understand the asset they all have and to connect more buildings to the network. That said, they have persisted and built a smoothly operating heating and cooling system that serves many businesses and municipal buildings.
For us, West Union has become not just an inspiration, but also a guide and a motivation.
I hope you’ll read our letter below, check out their website, and join us in sharing their story.
—Debbie
To the People of West Union:
We recently had the opportunity to visit West Union. Not to go trout fishing or to pass through on the way to somewhere else, but to learn about the geothermal-based thermal energy network that serves the County Courthouse and many of your downtown businesses and buildings.
We had the great privilege to be welcomed to your City by members of West Union District Energy. We had met with them online to learn about the thermal energy network that we often refer to in our work in other states. For us, West Union has been an example of how a small community can integrate many aspects of downtown improvement into a unified project while also taking control of its own energy and lowering costs. When the group suggested a visit to West Union, we jumped at the chance.
In just one day:
We heard from a fourth generation town leader who shared his decision to connect to the thermal energy network—“a no brainer in so many ways”—and how the streetscape project has improved his business as well as West Union’s downtown.
A local engineer whose office connects to the system had “nothing but good things to say about operation. You don’t think about it, you don’t even know it’s there.” He joined the owner of the company that services the system to walk us through the details of constructing, operating, monitoring, and maintaining the network.
The head of the local LLC that runs the system showed us the library basement renovation, made possible due to dehumidification by the geothermal system, and commented “Lower energy bills for public assets helps everyone.”
We learned about billing from the head of the local bank and how simple the financial operations of a municipal network can be. “It’s pretty automatic. There’s not a lot of time involved.” Customer bills are always the same and can be processed in a lunch break.
We learned that the Courthouse gas boiler used to demand constant adjustments— some rooms were cold, others were hot. Now, with the network’s heating and cooling, the facilities manager told us, “It’s like Christmastime every day.”
A young transplant from Boston vowed he’d never live anywhere but West Union now, describing the thermal energy network as “the greatest thing ever.”
We also had the unexpected opportunity to meet with your Mayor who described his experience of the network, saying “I don’t know if we could have it any better.”
West Union is a remarkable place. You have taken advantage of one need (to control stormwater) and built on it, adding new ideas to create a more walkable, welcoming downtown. That the project also included the initiative to connect multiple buildings to the Courthouse geothermal system is an inspiration to many municipalities.
As you’re likely aware, West Union is getting more and more calls from people who want to know how you pulled off the Green Streetscapes project and how the thermal energy network has become so successful. For good reason. In a time when municipalities are more stretched and stressed than ever, your City shows that doing big things is not only possible, but also can support multiple local needs. In a time when corporations dominate, you have chosen local control, proving that the initial risk can provide significant returns, saving money and creating pride in your community.
Unintentionally, but luckily for us and so many others, the people of West Union have put themselves on the map. We hope you will continue to expand your thermal energy network and connect more buildings, making the system even more efficient and cost effective.
Your community is a model for so many others. Thank you for your leadership.
