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Energy-saving challenge kicks off in Connecticut
Fourteen Connecticut towns duke it out — while engaging citizens — for the title of most energy-efficient in the Neighbor to Neighbor Energy Challenge.
Wed, Mar 30 2011 at 1:51 PM
Connecticut's Neighbor to Neighbor Energy Challenge

Images: Neighbor to Neighbor Energy Challenge

There’s a fierce battle going down in the otherwise staid state of Connecticut that’s pitting neighbor against neighbor and community against community to see who will emerge victorious in the quest to live more efficiency. Okay, so the Constitution State’s new Neighbor to Neighbor Energy Challenge isn’t that cutthroat and probably won’t result in acts of sabotage or prompt Greenwich matrons to sneak around their neighbor's property at night with infrared cameras trying to detect sources of home heat loss. But when you use the words “neighbor” and “challenge,” it does bring out the competitive edge in many homeowners.
 
What the Neighbor to Neighbor Energy Challenge is is a three-year program — described as a "community energy savings campaign" — that encourages homeowners in 14 different towns to get their collective acts together when it comes to energy-saving home improvements.
 
The ultimate goal of the Neighbor to Neighbor Energy Challenge is to get at least 10 percent of the homeowners in each of the 14 towns to reduce their household energy by 20 percent. The end result would be $150 million in energy savings and give Connecticut bragging rights for being the most energy-efficient state in the nation. Or at least this is what Gov. Dannel P. Malloy is thinking.
 
Says Malloy in an official press release:
 
The Neighbor to Neighbor Energy challenge demonstrates Connecticut’s leadership in finding innovative solutions to lowering energy bills and making homes more energy efficient. The staff and volunteers who brought this program to our communities are to be commended for making energy efficiency easy for residents to bring into their own homes. The high cost of energy is a major drain on household budgets and hits commerce hard. Like Neighbor to Neighbor, the programs run by the Connecticut Clean Energy Fund and the Connecticut Energy Efficiency Fund help alleviate the economic strain and reduce pollution and greenhouse gas emissions, all good things for Connecticut and our citizens.
 
As part of the challenge, homeowners in each of the 14 towns will be able to participate in a free CFL light bulb replacement program and register for affordable home energy assessments from Home Energy Solutions (HES) that will help them pinpoint sources of air leaks. From there, homeowners are encouraged to make the necessary home improvements to curb sources of household energy loss.
 
Each town will also host workshops and events to further promote household energy efficiency. And the more involved the residents of a town are in the challenge, the more the town benefits through a rewards program. It’s not clear exactly what the rewards will be, although the Neighbor to Neighbor Energy Challenge website does list the installation of free, solar-powered LED street lights as one perk of participating.
 
The 14 Connecticut towns duking it out to achieve maximum energy efficiency are Bethany, Cheshire, East Haddam, East Hampton, Glastonbury, Lebandon, Mansfield, Portland, Ridgefield, Westfield, Westport, Weston, Wethersfield, Wilton, and Windham. Each town has its own Neighbor to Neighbor Energy Challenge Facebook page to help residents keep abreast of community events and activities, and news.
 
Do you live in one of the towns participating in the Neighbor to Neighbor Energy Challenge? And more importantly, have you signed up?
 
Via [EcoHome]

The opinions expressed by MNN Bloggers and those providing comments are theirs alone, and do not reflect the opinions of MNN.com. While we have reviewed their content to make sure it complies with our Terms and Conditions, MNN is not responsible for the accuracy of any of their information.

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Comment: 1
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anonymous
Bobby S. Apr 14 2011 at 2:51 AM
One thing I can add up in doing an energy-saving home improvements and winning this competition is by installing window tints in the windows. Using window tint is one of the great way to reduce energy consumption, save money and care for the environment. Window tints can reduce heat load and enables a household to save up to 30% on cooling costs because heat gained through windows makes up to 40% of your summer energy bill. Solar control window film reduces heat gain by up to 80%, which helps lower
.... More
energy consumption associated with air conditioning. (Source: http://windowfilmtaxcredit.com/). Trusted tint professional at www.TintBuyer.com provides unbiased fact on types window tints that suit your needs. They provide relevant information about window tints such as its types, quotations, laws involve in every state and will help you find the best professional tinter near your area.
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