Media Advisory
For more information contact: Abbie Hodgson, 785-271-3269
July 2, 2009
Westar Energy wins KCC Olympic Energy Challenge; Award ceremony to take place Monday
Topeka, KS-The Kansas Corporation Commission (KCC) will announce Westar Energy as the winner of the KCC Olympic Energy Challenge at an awards ceremony Monday, July 6th. The ceremony will begin at 10:00 a.m. and will be held in the lobby of Westar Energy Corporate Headquarters, 818 Kansas Avenue.
"I'm proud to announce Westar Energy as the winner of the KCC Olympic Energy Challenge," said Thomas Wright, KCC Chairman. "The team demonstrated a remarkable commitment to energy efficiency as evident by the amount of energy they saved over the course of the competition."
The Olympic Energy Challenge was designed to heighten awareness and reduce energy usage during the winter heating season. Seventeen teams of ten members each participated, representing state agencies, city governments, school districts, and utility companies. Teams compared their total energy use during a five-month period to the amount of energy used during the same period the year before.
The winner, Westar Energy Power Savers, reported energy savings of approximately 73 million BTU. Members of the Westar Energy Power Savers were:
- Bill Moore, President & CEO
- Paul Heitkotter, Account Manager, Energy Efficiency/Trade & Ally Technical Services
- Greg Hylton, Supervisor, Operations, Tecumseh Energy Center
- Laura Lutz, Account Manager, Energy Efficiency/Consumer Services
- Susan Quinn, Supervisor, Transmission Accounting
- Bridget Bowman, Technical Specialist Design
- Russ Cobb, Business Manager
- Mary McInteer, Power Marketing Analyst
- Curtis Stewart, Systems Analyst
- Tom Watson, Retiree
"Westar Energy was pleased to participate in the KCC Energy Challenge and to be able to demonstrate to our customers the importance of using energy wisely," said Bill Moore, Westar President and CEO. "Energy efficiency is one of the first, best things we can all do to make sure we're using resources wisely."
Team members began the competition by changing out their light bulbs from incandescent bulbs to compact fluorescent light bulbs (CFLs). Team members also adjusted their thermostats to an efficient winter setting of 68 degrees or lower. Those with programmable thermostats were able to lower the setting even farther during the day when they were not at home.
"By following the lead of the Westar Energy Power Savers, Kansans can take simple steps each day to save energy," Wright said. "Best of all, doing so will reduce your utility bill!"
Tips for saving energy can be found at the KCC website: http://kcc.ks.gov/pi/simple_tips.htm.