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The aFewSteps House of Worship “Biggest Loser” Challenge aims to help local houses of worship lower reduce their energy bills and their carbon footprint.
An aFewSteps volunteer will visit a partipating HOW’s facility, do a short “walk-through” audit and get the HOW started by entering its energy use into the ENERGY STAR Portfolio Manager tracking software. If aFewSteps recommends based on the walk-through audit, and the HOW is interested, it can then pursue a more thorough at-cost audit from the Philadelphia-based Interfaith Coalition on Energy (www.interfaithenergy.com). aFewSteps will help assemble the information needed to minimize the ICE survey cost and optimize its benefit. Lastly, for those HOWs wanting to pursue capital retrofit work, aFewSteps will provide counseling on contractors and financing.
The competition will compare HOWs’ energy use in 2013 – the baseline year – and compare those figures to their performance in 2015. Two winners – the one with the overall lowest energy use in 2015 and the “biggest loser,” will be awarded prizes. Any HOW that reduces its use by 15% will be given a “winners’ circle” commendation.
An aFewSteps volunteer will visit a partipating HOW’s facility, do a short “walk-through” audit and get the HOW started by entering its energy use into the ENERGY STAR Portfolio Manager tracking software. If aFewSteps recommends based on the walk-through audit, and the HOW is interested, it can then pursue a more thorough at-cost audit from the Philadelphia-based Interfaith Coalition on Energy (www.interfaithenergy.com). aFewSteps will help assemble the information needed to minimize the ICE survey cost and optimize its benefit. Lastly, for those HOWs wanting to pursue capital retrofit work, aFewSteps will provide counseling on contractors and financing.
The competition will compare HOWs’ energy use in 2013 – the baseline year – and compare those figures to their performance in 2015. Two winners – the one with the overall lowest energy use in 2015 and the “biggest loser,” will be awarded prizes. Any HOW that reduces its use by 15% will be given a “winners’ circle” commendation.