Remember the HECO Challenge is Still ON! Keep Saving Energy!

Remember the HECOLAMO- HECO Home Energy Challenge that is!

By:  Christine Toorinjian

            ATTENTION! ATTENTION! All the people who are reading this blog, stop what you're doing, (besides reading)! Very important information coming YOUR WAY in the next couple of sentences. Remember folks, the HECO challenge is still going on. If you don't remember what the heck that is, then stand by for further refreshing of the brain. Other people......... Keep on reading also!

          So how many months has it been since you remember singing up for the HECO challenge? 2? 3? Well if you answered sandwich, then you are terribly confused! It has been about 3 months since our school has asked you guys to participate in the HECO Home Energy Challenge. If you still don't know what this is, wait a bit longer. The HECO challenge is basically a way for our school to raise money. How it works is when you save energy by doing small things, for example unplugging things when they aren't needed, you're earning money from our school. The more you save, we receive. This challenge is going on for a whole 6 months, so save, save, SAVE! When it's over though, 3 lucky schools that saved the most amount of energy, will be able to win cash prizes. 1st place wins $10,000. 2nd place wins $5,000. 3rd place wins $3,000. We won 3rd place last year, so we really need to kick it up a notch! If we do win 1st place this year, we're hoping that we could invest in a new aquaponics system, and much more fun activities for the students. Another thing too, the family who saves the most energy will receive a Kumu Kit, and not only that, but save big on their electric bill. Just remember though, this isn't only about money, but to encourage people to be thoughtful about the environment, and to make our world a greener place, even if 3/4 of it is blue. Anyways, enough of that, time to move on to HOW you can help us.

          Basically, we're just going to run through some tips, (5 to be exact), on how to save energy in your home. So, here they are:

#1: Open your windows on breezy days, instead of using your A/C.  Use natures winds as it was intended to be.

#2:  If you're planning on replacing your old water heater, try replacing it with a high-efficiency model, which can also save you some big bucks , especially with the years to come.

#3: Choose an ENERGY STAR brand of refrigerators/freezers, which happen to exceed federal efficiency standards by 20%.

#4: Instead of turning on the lights during the day, use natural light. Open your blinds, curtains, drapes, or whatever you have, and let the sun brighten up your home.

#5: Clean your dishwasher's bottom filter routinely to increase its efficiency.

This may sound like a lot of work , but it's time for you to lend a hand, get off your lazy bums, and SAVE A LOT..... of energy that is.

          Overall, keep the HECO challenge in mind, and KEEP IT THERE! No dreaming of unicorns and rainbows, UNLESS you're me. Ummmmm, what else? Oh yeah! SAVE! SAVE! SAVE! Have a nice evening..... or morning..... or whatever's in between and peace out homies!

                                          Photo Courtesy of Google Images