Dec. 3, 2008 - Home Energy Makeover Contest winner in Boulder announced

Contact:
Beth Powell, Office of Environmental Affairs, 303-441-1846
Lisa Bondi, Media Relations, 303-441-4205
www.bouldercolorado.gov/
www.ci.boulder.co.us/

The Smart Energy Living Alliance^TM (SELA), Xcel Energy, and the City of Boulder are proud to announce the Boulder winner of the 2008 Home Energy Makeover Contest, sponsored locally by the Office of Environmental Affairs and the Water Conservation Division.  

This year's winners are Mark and Jenny Maybee, whose 1,500 square foot home uses 16,000 kilowatt hours (kWh) of electricity and 1,396 therms of natural gas per year, compared to Colorado averages of 7,000 kWh and 1000 therms per year. Their home experiences drastic temperature changes from room to room and is extremely cold during winter months. Many of the windows at the Maybee residence are inoperable, creating an excessive heat gain during summer months. Up to $25,000 in energy upgrades will be installed in the home by early 2009.

SELA and participating Denver metro industry sponsors, who donate the equipment and labor required for a complete home energy makeover, selected the Boulder finalist from among 625 Boulder applicants.

 "The Energy Makeover Contest allows Boulder residents to visit an energy efficient ‘retrofit demonstration home' that's representative of so many older, drafty homes in the city in need of upgrades," said Beth Powell, marketing and outreach coordinator for the city's ClimateSmart program.  "Last year's open house welcomed 250 curious locals inside the home to learn more about how to make informed purchase decisions and reduce household energy use---very important priorities in these tough economic times.  In addition to new equipment, there are many no-cost and low-cost actions we can all take to save money on energy bills, decrease our carbon footprint, increase comfort and improve indoor air quality."

Pre and post-construction energy usage data and a case study will be developed to document the final energy and cost savings achieved, and an open house at the Maybee residence in spring 2009 will welcome locals to learn more.

A complete report of last year's winners and more information about this year's winners can be found at www.smartenergyliving.org/. Last year's winning home, in the first two months after retrofits, achieved a 66 percent reduction in natural gas usage over the prior year and saw a 75 percent reduction in their winter 2008 Xcel bills.

Funds for the Office of Environmental Affairs portion of the program sponsorship come from the Climate Action Plan (CAP) tax, which supports ClimateSmart programs designed to reduce greenhouse gas emissions in the City of Boulder. For more information, visit www.beclimatesmart.com/.  

SELA is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization dedicated to helping consumers make smart energy decisions and ensuring qualified professionals are available to meet their needs.  SELA was founded in 1999 by the National Renewable Energy Laboratory's (NREL) managing partners, Battelle and Midwest Research Institute, and continues to work in close partnership with NREL to provide credible, unbiased information. For more information, visit www.smartenergyliving.org/

Xcel Energy (NYSE: XEL) is a major U.S. electricity and natural gas company with regulated operations in eight Western and Midwestern states. Xcel Energy provides a comprehensive portfolio of energy-related products and services to 3.3 million electricity customers and 1.8 million natural gas customers through its regulated operating companies. Company headquarters are located in Minneapolis.  More information is available at www.xcelenergy.com/

 

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NOTE TO MEDIA:  Digital photos are available upon request.  Contact Juanita McConkey from SELA, at 720-271-6494.