Halfway through the Climate and Energy Project’s Take Charge Challenge, six Kansas communities are proving that energy efficiency works.
Six months into this year-long contest, the standings are as follows:
1. Merriam (partnering with KCP&L)
2. Kinsley (partnering with Midwest Energy Cooperative)
3. Quinter (partnering with Midwest Energy Cooperative)
4. Mount Hope/Haven (partnering with the Kansas Power Pool)
5. Wellington (partnering with the Kansas Power Pool)
6. Salina (partnering with Westar Energy)
* Partner utilities track each community’s electricity use compared to last year and to a selected control area this year.
Towns are ranked by largest percentage drop in use.
Together, measures taken in these six towns will save over one million kilowatt hours of electricity - enough to power 1,100 homes for a month – and avoid pollution equivalent to taking 140 cars off the road.
“Every one of these towns has brought creativity, leadership, and a great community spirit to this competition. We congratulate Merriam on their impressive achievement. With all six towns still in the game, we look forward to working with each to save money, save energy, and show what the Heartland can do when we put our minds to it,” said Nancy Jackson, Executive Director of the Climate and Energy Project.
Residents and business in all six communities have switched light bulbs, weatherized, installed programmable thermostats, and traded in their old appliances for more energy efficient models.
Merriam’s winning strategy: Residents have switched over 10,000 bulbs to energy efficient CFLs, and have worked with KCP&L to get new programmable thermostats and new air conditioners installed in hundreds of homes. “Merriam’s community spirit has been the key ingredient to our success in the Take Charge Challenge. Our residents are saving energy, saving money, and supporting the local economy. It’s a win-win-win,” said Ken Sissom, mayor of Merriam, KS.
The six towns range in size from 40,000 residents in Salina to 800 in Quinter.
Each takes a unique approach to slashing energy bills and winning the Challenge:
In Kinsley and Quinter, sixty residents and small businesses have taken advantage of Midwest Energy’s nationally-recognized How$mart energy audit and efficiency retrofit program. On average, this program results in yearly savings of 2,100 kilowatt hours per customer, which would save a typical family between $150-$200 each year. Quinter is also in the lead on takechargekansas.org, with 1,500 bulb switches - enough to light 77 of their neighbors’ homes for a year!
In Merriam, 82 residents have signed up for KCP&L’s Energy Optimizer program that provides free programmable thermostats to participants. Over 40 Merriam residents have replaced their old air conditioners through KCP&L’s Cool Homes rebate program. By switching bulbs and participating in KCP&L’s programs, Merriam residents have undertaken measures to save 438,000 kilowatt hours, saving their community $45,000.
Mount Hope and Haven are participating in the Kansas Power Pool’s new appliance rebate program. KPP rewards customers for replacing their old air conditioners and refrigerators with new energy-efficient ones. In Mount Hope, 23 rebates have been redeemed. By replacing their old appliances, these Mount Hope residents will save over $7,000.
Salina is partnering with Westar Energy. Westar’s energy educators have taught in K-12 schools, hosted “Energy Drops” to distribute CFLs at Wal-Mart, and advised USD 305 and other big energy users on how to slash their bills. Downtown Salina has replaced 4,550 of their holiday lights with LED rope lighting to for their Annual Christmas Festival and Parade of Lights. Westar’s new programmable thermostat program, WattSaver, will roll out in Salina early next year, giving Salina residents a real chance to gain some ground.
Wellington has also worked with KPP to encourage residents to switch to energy efficient CFL bulbs. In all, 8,000 light bulbs have been distributed. Wellington City utility staff provides free home energy audits to residents who want to learn how to save energy in their homes. An impressive 71 rebates for new energy-efficient appliances have been redeemed through Kansas Power Pool. These energy saving measures will save Wellington $22,000 and energy to power 261 homes for a month.
Salina, Quinter, Kinsley, Mount Hope/Haven, Wellington, and Merriam are all participating in the Climate and Energy Project’s Take Charge Challenge, a yearlong contest to see which town can save the most energy. The town that most aggressively reduces energy use will get to choose an energy-saving prize: a solar panel for a city building, a wind turbine for a school or $10,000 to use toward an energy efficient project for the city.
Salina-based Philips Lighting has designed a website, takechargekansas.org to track the lighting switch efforts of these towns. Thus far, Kansans have changed over 23,000 bulbs to energy efficient CFLs, saving them $195,000 in avoided energy costs.
For more information, contact:
Merriam and Salina: Eileen Horn, horn@climateandenergy.org, (913) 708-3929
Merriam: Carol Sivils, KCP&L, carol.sivils@kcpl.com, (816) 556-2263
Salina: Gina Penzig, Westar Energy, gina.penzig@westarenergy.com, (785) 640-9970
Mount Hope/Haven, Wellington, Quinter, Kinsley: Dorothy Barnett,
barnett@climateandenergy.org, (785)- 424-0444
Mount Hope/Haven, Wellington: Colin Whitley, Kansas Power Pool,
cwhitley@kansaspowerpool.org, (316) 264-3166
Quinter & Kinsley: Michael Volker, Midwest Energy, mvolker@mwenergy.com, (785) 625-1476
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