The greenhouse effect is created because certain gases sent into our atmosphere, such as carbon dioxide, allow radiation from the sun to pass through the earth’s atmosphere, but prevent a portion of the infrared radiation from the earth’s surface and lower atmosphere from escaping into outer space. This process occurs naturally; without it, our planet’s temperatures would be about 60 degrees cooler! Life as we know it simply would not exist without the natural greenhouse effect.

However, many scientists believe global warming is happening because the greenhouse effect has become intensified by human activities. These activities add more carbon dioxide and other gases to the atmosphere and accelerate the earth’s natural warming process. That is why we are striving to hit net-zero greenhouse gas emissions with our investments in sustainable and renewable energy sources. By using clean energy sources, we will help reduce the greenhouse emissions and contribute to making our planet a better place.

Although Americans make up only 5% of the world’s population, we use about 25% of the world’s energy! Plus, we consume about 15 times more energy per person than an average citizen of a third-world country.

Appliances and chargers use energy any time they’re plugged in – even if you’re not using them! This wasted power is called phantom load.

According to the Department of Energy, 5-10% of residential electricity is sapped by devices that are plugged in 24/7. Many appliances (such as cellphone chargers, TVs, microwaves and computers) use energy in standby mode, even when you aren’t using them.

To save energy at home, get in the habit of unplugging your small appliances when not in use or plug them into a power strip so you can shut off the flow of current to several items at once. If we all work to eliminate phantom load, we can save more natural resources and reduce greenhouse gas emissions.

See more on phantom load: Phantom load (midamericanenergy.com)

Wind power starts with the sun. When the sun heats air close to the ground, the warm air rises. Wind is created when cooler air rushes into the empty space left by the rising warm air. When the blades of a wind turbine capture wind energy and start moving, they spin a shaft (long rod) that connects to the hub of the wind turbine. The energy of the spinning shaft is transferred to an electrical generator. The generator produces electricity by spinning a magnet inside a coil of wires. When the magnet turns, it pushes electrons through the wires and generates electricity.

Check out this animated explanation of how a wind turbine works: Animation: How a Wind Turbine Works | Department of Energy

In power plants, various energy sources, such as fossil fuels (coal, oil, natural gas) or renewable energy sources (water, solar, wind, biomass, or geothermal) produce heat, and the heat is used to boil water to create steam. This steam spins turbines, and then the turbines turn electromagnets that are surrounded by heavy coils of copper wire. The moving magnets cause electrons in the copper wire to move from atom to atom, generating electricity.

A therm is a unit used for measuring the amount of heat that equals 100,000 British thermal units (BTU). If your family uses natural gas, your monthly bill may show your natural gas usage in therms.

It takes energy to heat water used for showering, cooking, and washing dishes and clothes. So, when you use less hot water, you use less energy. It also takes energy to run water treatment plants and to pump water to homes and buildings, so saving water reduces that energy use as well.

This is an open circuit. A circuit can either be open or closed – a circuit that does not allow electricity to flow through is open, and for electricity to travel, there must be a closed path. This is the principle behind a common switch, which closes the circuit to turn a light or appliance on and opens it to stop the electricity from flowing and turn it off.

Most of the world’s electricity is generated at power plants that rely on coal. Natural gas is the second-most used energy source, closely followed by hydropower and nuclear power. These energy sources are used at power plants to turn turbines. The turbines turn electromagnets that are surrounded by heavy coils of copper wire. The moving magnets cause the electrons in the copper wire to move from atom to atom, generating electricity.

Yes. Wind energy makes up a substantial part of MidAmerican’s energy mix. In fact, in 2021, 88.5% of the energy our Iowa customers used over the course of the year came from renewable sources, mostly wind. For nearly 20 years, we have invested in wind energy, installing more than 3,400 wind turbines in the state of Iowa alone, making us a nationwide leader in wind-powered capacity among rate-regulated utilities.

Since Iowa has an abundant wind resource, it is the main way we generate clean, renewable energy. While we do produce some energy from solar, sister companies in other states have greater solar advantage, so they can utilize more solar energy on the grid as part of their energy portfolio. Plus, some small businesses or homeowners choose to install their own solar panels or wind turbines that are “off-grid” and connected to batteries.

See more about our wind energy: Wind Energy (midamericanenergy.com)

See more about our mission to reach net-zero greenhouse gas emissions: Destination Net Zero (midamericanenergy.com)

There are lots of ways that you can save energy in your home. Consider some of these tips to lower your energy consumption:

• Set your thermostat to a higher temperature in the summer and a lower temperature in the winter to reduce your electrical usage.
• Consider upgrading to ENERGY STAR® appliances and light bulbs.
• Unplug chargers or electronics when you’re not using them.
• Seal up any drafts or air leaks with weatherstripping and caulk.

Fossil fuels (coal, oil, and natural gas) are nonrenewable energy sources, which means that once they are used up, they will be gone forever and cannot be replenished. Since these resources are becoming less plentiful over time, renewable energy sources (like wind or solar) are a great alternative to fossil fuels.

We work to ensure that our coal-fueled plants that operate today are equipped with the best-available, state-of-the-art environmental controls, helping to minimize the environmental footprint of every asset in our portfolio. And older coal units have been retired in the last several years.

See more about our energy mix: Our Energy Mix (midamericanenergy.com)

There is not worldwide data on energy usage that is publicly available and includes all organizations. However, according to the International Energy Association, among the four sectors of residential, commercial, industrial, and transportation, the industrial sector uses the greatest amount of energy, by a significant amount. The industrial sector consists of all facilities and equipment used for producing, processing, or assembling goods.

See more about energy use in the industry sector: Use of energy in industry in depth – U.S. Energy Information Administration (EIA)

Visit MidAmerican’s YouTube channel to view virtual plant tours and see phases of energy production from start to finish.

Compared to the bigger energy guzzlers like heating and cooling, water heating, and clothes drying, leaving the lights on doesn’t technically use a lot of energy. Lighting represents only about 12% of home energy use. However, in the bigger picture, leaving lights on when they are not being used does waste electricity, and it’s important to try to save electricity in every way we can. So, turning out lights is still a good habit to get into.

Plus, if you swap out your regular incandescent light bulbs with CFLs (compact fluorescent lights) or LEDs (light-emitting diodes), both of which use far less energy and last a lot longer than regular light bulbs, you will notice obvious savings in energy and cost. An LED bulb can last 25 times longer than a standard incandescent bulb, use 75% less energy than standard bulbs, and save over $80 in energy costs over its lifetime. If every home in America replaced just one incandescent light bulb with an ENERGY STAR® certified CFL, we would save enough energy every year to light 3 million homes and prevent greenhouse gas emissions equivalent to those from about 800,000 cars!

See more about energy-efficient lighting options: Compact Fluorescent Light Bulbs (CFLs) and Mercury | ENERGY STAR