The results are and in and the City of Bend ranked 19th out of 49 communities participating in the Georgetown University Energy Prize. The $5 million prize is awarded to the community which saves the most energy over a two year time period. While Bend did not reach the finals, it was recognized by Georgetown University as a high performing community. The Environmental Center, a Bend nonprofit organization, led the charge and created The Bend Energy Challenge as a way for the community to participate in energy savings.
The Bend Energy Challenge looked at existing homes, new homes, schools, and government buildings to find ways to reduce the overall energy use. For existing homes, the main focus was on five key areas: low-cost, no cost actions like turning down your thermostat; switching to high efficiency LED bulbs; getting a home energy assessment and retrofit; replacing old energy guzzling appliances with new, efficient ones; and going solar. The residential home builders looked to improve the energy efficiency of the newly constructed homes by certifying them to Earth Advantage and using the EPS (Energy Performance Score) from Energy Trust of Oregon. Over the two year reporting period, nearly 400 homes participated in the energy savings to help Bend get closer to the prize. A big part of The Bend Energy Challenge was education. Teaching students of the Bend-Lapine School district about energy efficiency and sustainability in their daily lives helps make an impact for a more energy conscious future. Finally, working with the City of Bend to reduce the energy used in its operations. Reviewing existing buildings energy use and identifying ways for improvement, as well as, newly constructed buildings coming online. All these components combined helped residents of Bend save energy and money, while providing a path toward a more sustainable future.
For more information about The Bend Energy Challenge results and how the City of Bend numbers stacked up, please visit: https://www.theenergychallenge.org/about/competitionresults/
About Georgetown University Energy Prize
The Georgetown University Energy Prize aimed to rethink America’s energy use by harnessing the ingenuity and community spirit of towns and cities all across America. From 2013 – 2017, the Prize has challenged small- to medium-sized towns, cities, and counties to rethink their energy use, and implement creative strategies to increase efficiency. Throughout the competition, local governments, residents, utilities, and other community leaders worked together to demonstrate success in sustainably reducing energy consumption. For more information, visit www.guep.org.