KANSAS CITY, Mo. - Six communities in Kansas are in the midst of a fierce yet friendly competition. The challenge is to see who can lower their electricity costs the most over a 12-month period.
Quinter, Mount Hope/Haven, Salina, Merriam, Wellington and Kinsley are all vying for the prize: a solar panel for a city building, a wind turbine for a school or $10,000 to use toward an energy efficient project of the city's choice.
Each community is urging households and businesses to get involved. Some are changing out light bulbs to CFL's (compact fluorescent light bulbs), or LED's, others are buying energy efficient refrigerators and air conditioners or weatherizing their homes and offices.
So far, 18,000 light bulbs have been changed out across the six towns.
In Merriam, Shawnee Mission Medical Center is upping the ante. The hospital has changed out thousands of bulbs, installed dimmers and is turning off hallway lights at night. So far, their monthly electric bill has dropped $1,500.
Here are 4 Helpful Tips to Reduce Your Electric Bills
- Replace 5 light bulbs with CFLs = save $65/year
- Install a programmable thermostat and be conservative in summer/winter = save $150/year
- Seal and weatherstrip doors and windows = save $300-$400/year
- Plug home electronics into a power strip and turn it off when it's not in use = save $50-$100/year
For more information on the Take Charge Challenge and how you can lower your electric bill visit
www.takechargekansas.org or
www.climateandenergy.org.
