A challenge has been issued to Lopezians. A challenge that is supposed to be as fun as it is informative. A challenge that, if completed, could mean lucrative prizes. All you have to do is care about how much power you use to make tea and toast.
Well, that and other house-hold activities. Starting on Oct. 14, a collaboration between OPALCO and Lopez’s own Island Energy Coalition will see the first ever Energy Challenge. This is a month long competition for any permanent resident of Lopez, designed to bring education, fun and incentive to energy conservation. It has four goals:
1. To raise awareness among Lopez residents about energy (particularly electricity) consumption and conservation at the household level.
2. To raise awareness about energy efficiency incentives offered by OPALCO.
3. To kick-start a community conversation about energy and our collective energy futures.
4. To create and test out an awareness program that can serve as a model for other islands in the San Juan county to promote energy conservation.
Speaking on behalf of the Islands Energy Coalition, Chom Greacen said that the competition is not supposed to be intimidating, but accessible and informative. “It’s about understanding how much power it takes to make your cup of tea.” This is not about depriving yourself of daily comforts, it is about understanding how to manage your household energy more efficiently.
During the month participants will record weekly electricity consumption by reading the utility meters. They will also log any energy saving activities they have done.
OPALCO will provide over 10 Kill-A-Watt meters; a tool to monitor power usage of different appliances that plug into 120V sockets. These can be checked out of the library to aid participants in learning about their own power patterns. The Energy Challenge Award Committee will review the results and at the end of the month announce the winners.
There are four categories in which prizes will be awarded. The first is Best Energy Conservation Story, the winner of this will present the best story or description of ways to conserve energy that deliver results.
The Small Energy Footprints Award will go to the household or individual with light energy footprints.The prize goes to the participant whose household is able to lead a comfortable life with the lowest electricity consumption. The use of other energy sources and the size of household are also taken into account to ensure comparability across different households.
The Biggest Power Usage Reduction Award will go to the largest percentage of electricity usage reduction in the one-month period, plus an explanation of how the reduction was achieved. It will also be the biggest reduction compared to usage during the same month (September to October) of last year and/or the previous month this year.
The final category is the “This-house-can-use-some-professional-help!” this will be three prizes for houses that can use a professional energy assessment.
Prizes include a solar powered lamp, gift certificates to local stores, “smart energy saver” power strips designed to dispell standby loads of energy and professional energy assessments of homes.
There will be a competition launch on Oct. 14. 6 p.m. at the library. The launch is an opportunity to come, ask questions about the challenge, learn how to use Kill-A-Watt meters and read utility meters and glean information from OPALCO bills.
For more information, contact Greacen on chom@palangthai.org.
