Grid 21, in partnership with Oncor, launched the 2012 Biggest Energy Saver Campaign on June 20, 2012, to reward eligible, participating customers who use their advanced meter data to reduce their energy usage and potentially lower their electric bills. This year's campaign will feature both a residential consumer contest and a Lighten Your Load sweepstakes.
The consumer contest consists of three monthly contests in July, August and September, with prizes awarded to eligible, participating customers who reduce their electric usage the most when compared to the same period in 2011. The contest is designed to reward people who make simple behavioral changes and create new energy habits that they can maintain over time.
The Lighten Your Load Sweepstakes is designed to help raise awareness of the fact that electricity usage often spikes between the hours of 3 and 7 p.m., when many people are returning home from work and school. On randomly designated Lighten Your Load event days, eligible participants are encouraged to postpone unnecessary tasks that use electricity and see how much they can reduce their home energy usage compared to their usual routine. Entrants in both the contest and the sweepstakes have the chance to win prizes that include energy-saving appliances and cash for home improvements.
The 2011 Biggest Energy Saver participants showed that small changes can lead to big savings. The top 10 percent of participants reduced their usage by more than a third – despite the record heat in 2011. By using an in-home energy monitor and the Smart Meter Texas portal to track overall electric usage and make subsequent behavioral changes, Grand Prize winner Rod Reyna and his family from Pflugerville decreased their energy usage by nearly 40 percent.
"By encouraging customers to understand and act on the data provided by their advanced meters, the Biggest Energy Saver campaign helps our customers make more educated decisions about their energy consumption, potentially lowering their electric bills," Chief Customer Officer Brenda Jackson said. "We are excited to once again offer this campaign and see how much our customers lower their usage with information from the advanced meters."
