River Falls was again ranked as one of the top communities in the nation by the Department of Energy National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL) for its participation and sales rates in green power programs. NREL has now recognized the city in the top 10 in 19 of the last 20 years.
The city ranked third with a 16% participation rate in 2023 out of the top 15 utilities throughout the country.
“As the case has been for years now, River Falls’ residents are being deservingly recognized for a dedication to renewable energy,” said Kevin Westhuis, utility director at River Falls Municipal Utilities. “It’s exciting to have so many people invested in reducing carbon emissions.”
NREL evaluated the renewable energy efforts of utilities in four categories and released lists of the top 15 utilities across the nation. NREL’s list for Green Power Participation Rates measures the percentage of customers who participated in a utility’s renewable or “green” energy programs. The Green Pricing Sales Rate ranks utilities by the same categories.
Customers of River Falls Municipal Utilities rank third in the nation for their Green Power Participation Rate. The utility also ranked third with a Green Power Sales Rate of 9.39%, which increased from 8% in 2022.
One of the utility’s most popular offerings, the Renewable Energy Block Program, helped the community obtain this participation recognition. The program allows customers to sign up to increase their monthly bill by a few dollars, ensuring their space is powered by renewable energy such as solar, wind and biogas. A typical home can run on clean energy with the purchase of two to three blocks, with one 300 kilowatt-hour (kWh) block costing $2 per month.
Customers interested in participating in the Renewable Energy Block program are encouraged to contact the utility to sign up.
River Falls Municipal Utilities is a member of WPPI Energy, a not-for-profit joint action agency owned by the members it serves. WPPI Energy has set a target to become carbon neutral by 2050.
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River Falls Municipal Utilities
RFMU is the locally owned and operated electric, water/sewer, and wastewater utility, serving around 6,700 customers in River Falls. For more information visit rfmu.org.
NREL
NREL is the U.S. Department of Energy's primary national laboratory for renewable energy and energy efficiency research and development. For more information visit nrel.gov.