City of Madison Selected as a Semifinalist in $5 Million Georgetown University Energy Prize

I am delighted to announce that the City of Madison has been selected to advance to the Semifinal round of the Georgetown University Energy Prize, a national competition that challenges us, along with other small- and medium-sized communities to develop and implement creative, sustainable, and replicable strategies to save energy.

Our commitment is to provide the citizens of Madison with the support and assistance they need to lower their energy usage – not only to lower their utility bill but to reduce harmful GHG emissions.  The City of Madison has a stated goal of reducing our greenhouse gas emissions by 80% by 2050.  In order to do that, the City needs to be aggressive.  A larger percentage of our GHG emissions come from heating and cooling buildings because most of our electrical power comes from coal which is high in GHG emissions.  The Georgetown University Energy Prize has put us in the running against leading small- and medium-sized communities across the county.

The City of Madison will work together over the next two years with, local, utilities, local government officials, residents, energy efficiency experts, and others to implement our energy-saving plan that will not only deliver financial benefits to residents, but will also help ensure the long-term sustainability of our community. Most importantly, we will develop new approaches that other communities can replicate--so that we can all do our part to secure our nation's energy future.

In competing for the Georgetown University Energy Prize, the City of Madison intends to focus improvements on:

• Developing strategies for all residents – homeowners and renters to reduce energy use
• Reducing Municipal energy use even more by engaging employees

Stay tuned for more details on the Prize, the City of Madison's energy-saving plan, and to learn how you can support our efforts! In the meantime please stay connected by checking out the contest website at http://guep.org/