Take the Kilowatt Challenge and win a solar hot water heater!

Climate Change Balmain-Rozelle is signing up households in Balmain, Rozelle and the surrounding suburbs to join in our fun energy-efficiency competition. It's your chance to win some truly great prizes, cut your electricity bills, and do your own bit to combat climate change. Every little effort reduces the dangerous overall CO2 load in our atmosphere.

How to cut your household greenhouse emissions
Click here, for simple tips on how to easily cut your household greenhouse gas emissions.

First prize
A fully installed Solahart hotwater system to the value of $4500!

Did you know that hot water heating is responsible for up to 30% of household energy use, if like most people you have an electric system. This usage equates to around 4.2 tonnes of greenhouse gas emissions per year, just for hot water! Installing a solar hot water heater can cut your water heating power usage by up to 75%, significantly reducing your emissions and your power bills. (For more info call Solahart 1300 652 431.)

Second prize
A three-night stay at Goulburn River Stone Cottages, in a picturesque, private, solar-powered bush cabin on the banks of the headwaters of the Goulburn River and adjacent to a national park.
www.stonecottages.com.au

Third prize
A Nylex water tank to the value of $495 (supplied by The Hardware Store, Evans St, Balmain).

Why take the Challenge?

Climate Change Balmain-Rozelle has a vision to turn this area into a model for modern, energy-efficient urban living. This starts inside our homes. We all need to shift our way of thinking towards electricity use and where it comes from, and make the necessary adjustments to reduce our households' CO2 emissions from energy use.

Much of the answer to averting dangerous climate change, lies in

• sourcing our energy from clean renewable sources such as wind, biomass and solar
  
• and reducing our energy use.

We expect that the discussion and community involvement will generate greater awareness of the need for legislative changes that will drive serious, effective greenhouse gas emissions reductions across Australia and the world, and support the growth of the renewable energy sector in the form of a substantial Mandatory Renewable Energy Target.

How to join up

1.     Check your most recent electricity bill and locate the Kilowatt Hour (kWh) usage recorded for that quarter.

2.     Read and accept the terms and conditions of the competition listed on this page.

3.     Register by emailing kc@climatechangebr.org or phoning Alison on 9818 6718. Provide us with your name, address, phone number and recent kWh usage from your electricity bill. This will go into our Kilowatt Challenge database. Participants will receive our monthly email newsletter with updates and great tips on easy ways to reduce their energy use.

NOTE: There are NO costs involved and we will NOT disclose your details to anyone else.

4.      Stick the Kilowatt Challenge card that arrives in your letterbox on your fridge and input your last kWh bill recording. Pledge to decrease your household energy usage. We will show you how – comfortably. You could aim for a cut of 20% to 50%.

5.       When your next electricity bill comes in (they arrive every three months), email or phone through to us the Kilowatt Hour (kWh) usage recorded on it for that quarter, and do the same again for the next bill.

Households that cut their bills by the largest proportion will win the prizes.
The competition runs over six months (two quarterly billing periods) and when all households have supplied their bill recordings, we will then be able to calculate the winners.
We will also be able to estimate how many tonnes of greenhouse gases that, collectively, we may have saved from entering the atmosphere.
To be eligible to win, the house must have been occupied for the duration of the challenge. For fair competition, houses left unoccupied for more than three weeks in the six month competition period will be ineligible for the prizes but eligible for the discount offers. We encourage those who are likely to be away to join up regardless for the learning experience and the fun of the competition.

Climate Change Balmain-Rozelle is the competition holder and its legal representatives will be judging the winners. Their decision will be final.

Exclusive offers for participating households

We've secured these fabulous exclusive offers for all participating households.

Discounted home efficiency assessment offer — ALL participants are eligible for an exclusive offer from efficiency experts Neco to undertake a cut-price ($60 instead of $149.99) home assessment that will outline many methods to cheaply turn your house into a comfortable energy and water-efficient home, and make substantial savings on your bills. During the assessment Neco can change all ordinary incandescent bulbs in your
home to energy efficiency varieties as part of this special price.
For more information go to www.neco.com.au  or call Leah Giblin at Neco on 9028 7904.

Discount for solar hot water systems — All participating households are eligible for a $400 discount on a Solahart hot water system. Call 1300 652 431

Discount for solar/photovoltaic systems — Origin Energy Solar is offering a $500 discount on solar PV electricity systems for participating households. For more information call 13 24 63, or visit www.originenergy.com.au/solar

How to cut your household emissions

For simple tips on how to easily cut your household greenhouse gas emissions, go to How to cut your GH emissions!