 IUC conducts meeting for utilities to share summer preparedness plans
On June 3 the IUC conducted a Summer Preparedness meeting to hear from Iowa utilities and discuss their plans for responding to potential extreme weather and high energy demand this summer. Participants included representatives from the Midcontinent Independent System Operator (MISO), Southwest Power Pool (SPP), MidAmerican Energy, Alliant Energy, the Iowa Association of Electric Cooperatives, and the Iowa Association of Municipal Utilities.
The IUC has been holding seasonal preparedness meetings before each summer and winter since May 2022. Seasonal preparedness meetings serve as forums for the IUC, utilities, regional transmission operators, trade organizations, and other interested parties to identify challenges and solutions for maintaining the reliability of the electric system in Iowa.
At the meeting, MidAmerican and Alliant both affirmed they are ready to reliably serve peak load for the summer. Both utilities indicated that their coal, natural gas, nuclear, and renewable generation facilities are expected to be available to provide reliable service throughout the summer.
Additional information regarding specific utilities preparedness for the summer season can be found in the IUC’s electronic filing system under Docket No. INU-2025-0001.
 2025 legislative session adjourns
The 2025 session of the 91st General Assembly adjourned on May 16. The session included approval of an IUC budget amount consistent with the Governor’s proposal.
Many bills were introduced that addressed the jurisdiction and regulatory proceedings of the IUC. One piece of legislation relating to infrastructure projects, House File 639, was passed by the House and Senate but ultimately vetoed by Governor Reynolds. The veto was accompanied by a statement from the governor.
The IUC separately issued a news release in response, stating the IUC will implement a proposal within HF639 that the Governor requested in her statement, specifically that all Commissioners will be present during live testimony and at least one Commissioner will attend every informational meeting. The IUC also announced the return of monthly public commission meetings beginning in August. Read the full IUC news release.
IUC issues decision in Iowa-American’s request to increase water and wastewater rates
On May 21, 2025, the IUC issued its final decision and order in Docket No. RPU-2024-0002 regarding a request from Iowa-American Water Company (Iowa-American) to increase its customers water and wastewater rates.
The order approved an annual revenue requirement of approximately $58.7 million for water service and approximately $1 million for wastewater service, and a return on equity of 9.6%. The IUC also ordered Iowa-American to file tariffs that show the new rates and how they were calculated and an annual capital investment plan followed by a stakeholder meeting.
On June 10, 2025, Iowa-American filed the required compliance documents and related tariffs. The IUC is currently reviewing the tariffs to determine final customer rates.
Under Iowa law, because Iowa-American used a future test year to determine rates, the IUC will conduct a subsequent proceeding to determine whether the actual costs and revenues are reasonably consistent with those approved by the IUC. This will occur approximately 15 months after the new customer rates become effective. Review the IUC's news release.
Avoid potential violations by following Iowa's One Call law: Call before you dig
Many types of utility services can be buried in the ground on your property, a construction site, or business. To avoid a potential accident caused by excavation, Iowa law requires that you have the location of all underground utility lines marked before digging by hand or with equipment. Hitting an underground utility line while digging can cause serious injuries, disrupt service to entire neighborhoods, and result in fines and repair costs.
The IUC Safety and Engineering bureau supports the Office of the Attorney General by conducting investigations of alleged violations of Iowa's One Call law and provides summaries to the Attorney General for legal review. To assist with this process, the IUC provides an online One Call complaint form for individuals or entities seeking to file a complaint.
To comply with Iowa's One Call law, a homeowner or excavator must go online to IowaOneCall.com or call 811 or 800-292-8989 to schedule underground utility lines to be located and marked. This will create a ticket for the location to be visited. The request should be made at least two days before starting any digging or excavating project, excluding Saturday, Sunday and legal holidays. Iowa One Call is a free service.
Safety and Engineering staff participate in ISU's electric power forum
From May 20-22, IUC Safety and Engineering staff participated in the 2025 Electric Power Forum hosted by Iowa State University’s Electric Power Research Center. The conference started with an industry symposium and presentations, followed by courses on 765 kV line construction and operation, and high voltage direct current (HVDC) electric transmission.
IUC staff was interested in learning more about the higher voltage levels coming to Iowa as a result of approval from the Midcontinent Independent System Operator (MISO) regarding the Tranche 2 portfolio of electric transmission line projects containing the 765 kV transmission.
ISU's 765 kV workshop noted benefits of 765 kV lines, their design, construction, and operation, including a presentation by Evan Wilcox of American Electric Power, builders and owners of the world’s first 765 kV transmission line. He noted the line's history from planning and design in 1966 to several expansions and reconstructions, to its current state of operation. Additional presentations on environmental challenges to 765 kV, equipment availability, and substation design were provided by industry professionals, equipment manufacturers, and the U.S. Geological Survey.
The U.S. Department of Energy sponsored the HVDC course and featured a technical and in-depth overview of HVDC configurations and operational procedures. Examples were provided about the uses of HVDC through history as well as key applications best suited for the technology, including long distance and overseas transmission. A presentation by SOO Green HVDC Link, LLC, shared information on how the company sought siting of their merchant HVDC transmission project in Iowa and Illinois, the economic and reliability benefits of the project, and some project design details.
The presentations on 765 kV transmission are available online at https://www.ece.iastate.edu/eprc/power-forum/.
Presentations and educational modules on HVDC are also available at https://home.engineering.iastate.edu/~jdm/hvdclearn/index.htm.
IUC completes its administrative rules review under Executive Order 10 process
On January 10, 2023, Governor Kim Reynolds issued Executive Order Number 10, which requires all executive agencies to conduct a comprehensive review of each chapter of its administrative rules. As an executive agency, the Utilities Commission is required to have initiated its review of all of its administrative chapters by December 2025.
As of July 2025, the IUC has completed its review, and all of IUC’s re-promulgated administrative rules are expected to be effective by the end of July 2025.
Throughout the process, the IUC completely rescinded six chapters and reduced the number of overall administrative rules and the number of restrictive terms. As a final part of the Executive Order 10 process, the IUC will complete a final rule report, which will be submitted to the governor’s office and added to the IUC’s Executive Order 10 webpage upon completion.
Utilities offer Time of Day use and energy efficiency option for consumers
Many electric customers in Iowa now have a handy tool available that can save them money on electric bills by shifting high-usage activities to times when rates are much lower. Recently, Alliant Energy has joined MidAmerican Energy and other electric utilities in implementing Time of Day rates, sometimes called Time of Use rates, for residential customers.
Utilities encourage customers to take advantage of the times of the day when electricity costs are lowest for the utility, which leads to bigger cost savings for customers. When people come home from work, especially on hot days, many turn on their air conditioners, TVs, electronic devices, and kitchen appliances, or maybe start a load of laundry and use the dishwasher, all around the same time of the day. Utilities refer to this period of time as Peak Usage. To serve this high usage, utilities have to bring additional electric facilities online, which passes the cost on to the customer, and the higher usage also creates greater burden on the electric grid as a whole.
Summer is the time when the greatest savings can be achieved, as utilities charge different rates depending on the season, with summer being the costliest rate period of the year. Thus, the Time of Use rates are a win-win for the customer and the utility: The customer saves money on their electric bill by shifting energy-intensive activities to off-peak hours, and the utility reduces its peak usage load, which reduces wear and tear on equipment and lessen staff needs during peak times.
Changing your rate class
Residential customers may need to change their rate class to a time-of-day rate in order to take advantage of the Time of Day program.
- Alliant Energy customers can use the My Account tool on Alliant’s website to compare Time of Day rates (called “Night Owl” and “Summer Saver”) with their current rate plan to see the savings they could achieve by changing.
- MidAmerican customers can sign up for “Time-of-Use” rates and perform a rate comparison to help determine the most advantageous rate for them. MidAmerican will install a Time-of-Use meter when a customer changes rates.
It is important to be aware of what effect a rate change will have, because Alliant and MidAmerican both require a customer to remain under a changed rate for at least 12 months.
Both utilities also provide information to customers about when their peak times take place, as the customer needs to take the responsibility of shifting their high-electricity usage to non-peak hours.
For example, MidAmerican Time of Use customers are charged significantly more than regular rates between 1 and 6 p.m. Monday through Friday during the summer. At the same time, Alliant and MidAmerican do not have peak hours on holidays including New Year’s Day, Christmas Day, and Thanksgiving Day.
Customers served by other utilities should contact their provider to learn whether time-of-day options are available.
Other ways to save electricity
Regardless of the time of the year, customers will always save money by keeping energy efficiency in mind. Here are some tips that will help reduce electric costs:
- Keep the difference between the temperature inside your house and outside as small as you can to help lower your electric bill. Set your thermostat to be warmer than normal when no one is home, and lower the thermostat when you return home and want a cooler temperature.
- Turn off fans when you leave a room; fans cool you, not the room itself.
- Make sure furniture isn’t blocking vents, making your air conditioner work harder to cool the room.
- Use curtains to block the sun, especially in rooms facing east during the daytime.
- Use a power strip as a central “turn off” point when you are done using equipment. Supporting equipment such as external speakers and computer peripherals draw their own power and can be missed when you turn off the computer or TV.
For more tips, see the IUC webpage How Do I Reduce Energy Costs?
Communications Manager
Don Tormey retires from IUC
IUC employee Don Tormey retired June 27, after more than 16 years working in state government. Don began his career as a state employee in 2009 after 28 years in the newspaper industry as a Director of Multimedia for the Des Moines Register and as Senior Photo Editor, assignment editor and photojournalist for the Los Angeles Times. Tormey earned a bachelor's degree in Journalism from California State University, Long Beach.
In 2009, Don entered state employment as the public information officer for the Iowa Office of Energy Independence. He joined the IUC as the Manager of Customer Service and Public Information in 2011 and became Communications Manager in 2015. His primary duties throughout his state career were handling media relations and creating and reviewing external and internal communications for customers, stakeholders, and the general public. He also served as a team lead on three IUC website redesign projects and agency rebranding. In addition to communications he worked on many other utility-related issues over the years, including serving as agency presiding officer at public informational meetings to educate Iowans about the IUC's role in proposed energy infrastructure projects.
The IUC thanks Don for all his years of service and wishes him the best in his retirement.
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The Iowa Utilities Commission and Office of Consumer Advocate offices will be closed on Friday, July 4, in observance of the Independence Day holiday. However, the IUC's electronic filing system (EFS) and IUB 24/7 will be available and EFS filings made outside of business hours will be processed by staff on Monday, July 7. The IUC's normal office hours are 8 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. Monday through Friday. IUC offices are closed Saturdays and Sundays and official State holidays. |
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IUC Hearing and Meeting Calendar
Public Hearings are scheduled in the following dockets:
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ETA-2013-0002 | Q Link Wireless, LLC: 9 a.m. July 15, IUC Hearing Room
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E-22544 | ITC Midwest LLC: 9 a.m. July 22, Reinig Toledo Civic Center, 1007 S. Prospect Drive, Toledo
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RPU-2025-0001 | MidAmerican Energy Company: 9 a.m. August 12, IUC Hearing Room
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RPU-2025-0001 | MidAmerican Energy Company: 9 a.m. August 13, IUC Hearing Room
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RPU-2025-0001 | MidAmerican Energy Company: 9 a.m. August 14, IUC Hearing Room
Public Informational Meetings are scheduled in the following dockets:
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GCU-2025-0011 | Alliant Energy/Interstate Power & Light: Noon July 15, Iowa Valley Business & Community Solutions, 3702 S. Center St., Marshalltown
Monthly Public Commission Meeting
- August 20, 2025 - 9 a.m., IUC Hearing Room
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