Contest Saves Bozeman Residents $6,000; Next Contest Launches Oct. 1
Bozeman, MT: The City of Bozeman’s Office of Sustainability and partner sponsors NorthWestern Energy and the MT Department of Environmental Quality helped Bozeman residents save almost $6,000 in this year’s Bozeman Energy Smackdown.
The Bozeman Energy Smackdown is a friendly competition to educate and inspire residents to reduce their energy consumption. Added bonus? Save money on your utility bills! The Smackdown offers education and easy-to-implement strategies to reduce your energy consumption and keep more money in your family’s budget and the community.
Over the past year, 12 monthly winners received $100 Downtown Dollar gift cards for achieving the greatest savings each month, and we are proud to announce this year’s grand prize winners of $1,000 to their favorite local home improvement store: Dan Center and Brody Johnson!
Dan Center used almost 29% less energy during the contest period than he did the previous year. “I don’t see a reason to be wasteful if I can avoid it,” he said. “I know it’s cliché, but I’m outdoorsy like most people here. I need to do my part to not degrade the environment. And it saves money.”
“We installed a tankless water heater, radiant floor heating, solar hot water heater, and LED light bulbs. We upgraded appliances, added insulation in the attic, caulked and sealed air leaks, and put in new windows and doors. We have more money available to do what we need and would like to do because of our low power bills.”
Brody and Angie Johnson saved 36% on their energy use throughout the contest. “Growing up, my father was a stickler about not leaving the door open with the heat or air conditioning on. It’s just ingrained in me to try to pay attention and reduce my impact. I’m always curious about my carbon footprint, and calculating it online. I think it is really cool that Bozeman has an opportunity like this.”
The Johnsons installed a solar photovoltaic system late last summer, and it’s already paying off. “Having the solar system has helped us to be more aware of our energy use, so we’re always looking for ways to use less. It’s inspired a lot of lifestyle changes, and become part of our daily living. We stopped watering our lawn, and will xeriscape it this fall or winter. We turned off the hot water to the dishwasher and clothes dryer, and they both work fine without it. We hang dry our clothes when it’s nice out. Overall, it’s been a great investment. Instead of a monthly utility bill, we are paying on a low interest loan that will be paid off in ten years, after which we won’t have an electric bill at all.”
The Smackdown competition will launch again on October 1st, and this time it will include a neighborhood Smackdown component. Anyone can participate, and participants will be grouped by neighborhood. Individuals will be eligible to win $100 monthly prizes and the two $1,000 grand prizes, and there is an added incentive for the neighborhood that collectively reduces their energy use by the greatest amount: a neighborhood pizza party!
The Smackdown makes it easy to understand your energy usage: just link your utilities when you sign up, and you’ll get monthly emails detailing how much energy you are using, easy actions for reducing energy use, comparisons for the previous year, and comparisons to others in the competition.
The City of Bozeman and our community partners encourage ALL Bozeman residents to become more cognizant of energy usage, especially with winter fast approaching! The Smackdown offers simple tips on weatherization methods for your home, as well as easy behavior changes such as kicking your thermometer down a notch or two and donning a sweater, or air drying your clothes.
“We are thrilled to help Bozeman residents get more engaged with their energy use and save money. With buildings responsible for nearly half of US CO2 emissions, saving energy at home has a significant impact on helping our community mitigate climate change. The community of Bozeman is working hard to preserve the amazing resources and way of life in Bozeman,” stated Heather Higinbotham, the City of Bozeman’s Energy Conservation Technician.
For more information and a complete list of rules, please contact Heather Higinbotham at (406) 582-2370 or hhiginbotham@bozeman.net, or visit: www.bozemanclimatepartners.net.
