Bellevue has made the cutoff for 10 communities advancing to the final round of the Georgetown University Energy Prize, a national competition to rethink the way America’s small- to medium-sized towns, cities and counties use energy. Bellevue residents have collectively saved over $2 million in energy costs and 10,800 metric tons of carbon dioxide. In addition, the city avoided $58,000 in energy bills, as well as saving 1.3 million kilowatt-hours from streetlight upgrades.
“Bellevue is excited to be in the top 10 for the Georgetown University Energy Prize,” said Jennifer Ewing, environmental stewardship manager, in a city news release. “As a community, we’re always looking for new and innovative ways to save on energy costs, increase efficiencies and reduce our carbon emissions.”
Bellevue is among the highest performing communities in the competition based on total energy savings per household and in city facilities.
“Bellevue is at the forefront of a nationwide competition to bring together communities with a shared goal of reducing energy consumption,” said Energy Prize Executive Director Uwe Brandes. “Our 10 finalists have achieved impressive energy savings and reduced municipal and household energy budgets. They serve as models for other communities across our country and have offered innovative energy-saving strategies that can be replicated and scaled.”
In December, a panel of judges representing academia and industry will evaluate each community’s approach to innovative, replicable, scalable energy efficiency programs and select a winning community, based on a combination of energy performance scores and the advancement of new best practices over the course of the two-year energy-saving period.
The winning community will be provided with a prize package that includes support toward $5 million in financing for an energy efficiency dream project, as well as workshops and education opportunities for the winning community.
To learn more about participating in Bellevue’s energy savings programs, including Solarize Bellevue, Urban Smart and the Green Power Challenge, visit the city’s Environmental Stewardship Initiative web page or contact a Puget Sound Energy advisor at 1-800-562-1482.
