MEDIA RELEASE

The Kohala Center and the county Department of Research and Development are seeking an additional 35 households in West Hawaii to participate in free residential energy evaluations.

These evaluations are intended for low or moderate income households. Renters are also welcome to participate.

The energy evaluation includes a review of your current utility bills and a survey of your energy usage including lighting, plug loads, electronics, water heater, washer and dryer, refrigerator, and other household appliances.

A certified and courteous technician will come to your home or condo to perform a thorough professional evaluation of your home’s energy consumption.

Each participating household will receive a free Smart Strip, a specially designed surge protector with energy saving electronics. Tests conducted by an independent computer consulting company showed that the Smart Strip can save families up to $20 per month on their electric bill.

The Smart Strip can be used to control a home computer or TV entertainment system. A small electronic device inside the Smart Strip monitors the current on a single outlet. The computer is plugged into that single outlet. When the computer is finished shutting down, the Smart Strip senses the current change and automatically shuts off all of the computer peripherals.

As part of the residential energy evaluation, the technician will explain the best location to install the Smart Strip in your home.

Energy evaluations take between 1.5 to 2 hours, based on your home’s square footage.

Alex Woodbury, LEED AP, LEED Green Rater, HERS, of Woodbury Inspection Group Inc. will be conducting the evaluations. Woodbury will provide each household with step-by-step information on how to dramatically cut household energy usage. This evaluation is designed to give you immediate and measurable results.

The county Department of Research and Development is sponsoring free residential energy evaluations with grant money from the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009. The Kohala Center is partnering with the County to educate residents about residential energy efficiency.

The Kohala Center is an independent, not-for-profit center for research and education about and for environment. By respectfully engaging Hawaii Island as the world’s most vibrant classroom and laboratory for humanity, The Kohala Center builds teaching and research programs for energy and food self-reliance and ecosystem health to enhance island environments, serve island communities, and advance the work of the academy.

For more information or to sign up for a free residential energy evaluation and Smart Strip surge protector for your home, contact The Kohala Center at info@kohalacenter.org or 887-6411. Participation is on a first-come, first-served basis.

— Find out more:
www.kohalacenter.org