“Why is Iowa so behind?” A Roundtable on Energy Burden

JOLEEN JANSEN, Senior Energy District Network Coach at Clean Energy Districts of Iowa, and JACOB SERFLING, Director of Building Decarbonization Policy + Projects at Midwest Building Decarbonization Coalition, hosted a roundtable over Zoom October 9 to discuss clean energy and housing initiatives.

Expert panelists, representing clean energy and affordable housing initiatives in Iowa, included:

SIMON ANDREW – Affordable Housing Developers/Owners | Iowa City Housing Fellowship and Energy efficiency audits with Johnson Clean Energy District

JODI ROYAL-GOODWIN – City of Muscatine | Community Development Director

DEBBIE ACKERMAN– Hawkeye Area Community Action Program (HACAP)| Community Building and Engagement, and Johnson County Coordinator & Johnson Clean Energy District Board of Directors

MADELEINE McCULLOUGH – National Housing Trust | Fund Sustainability Policy Program Manager

LESLIE ZARKER – National Housing Trust | Director of Sustainability Policy

CURTIS NELSON – Cerro Gordo Energy District Board of Directors; Iowa Citizens for Community Improvement Board Member, and Clean Energy Districts of Iowa Board Member

MARC FRANKE – Linn Clean Energy District Board of Directors | Former GM Engineer; retired University of Iowa IT Director; renewable energy, solar, and EV advocate Panelists share their backgrounds and experiences in advancing sustainability policies, conducting energy audits, and supporting equitable access to energy resources.

LINKS CITED:

Clean Energy Districts of Iowa: http://cleanenergydistricts.org

Midwest Building Decarbonization Coalistion Affordable Housing Working Group: https://midwestdecarb.org/housingwg

Midwest Decarbonization Minnesota ECO Working Group: https://ecohealthstrat.notion.site/eco-income-eligible-working-group

Low Income Energy Affordability Data Tool: http://energy.gov/scep/slsc/lead-tool/

Clean Energy Districts of Iowa EECBG Technical Assistance: http://cleanenergydistricts.org/eecbg/

Posted: October 31, 2025

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Joleen Jansen

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