Homeowners could win up to $1500 for utility bills

Oakland County Executive L. Brooks Patterson announced the OakGreen Challenge Awards program at the 2011 OakGreen Summit. Homeowners who have the "most improved" and "most efficient" homes when it comes to energy savings will be eligible to win up to $1,500 toward their utility bills. Residents will complete a free EPA ENERGY STAR energy assessment and will receive information on options and incentives for increasing their energy efficiency and saving money. Then using an ENERGY STAR Home Energy "yardstick," residents will keep track of their energy savings. The winners will be announced in early 2012. "I issued my OakGreen Challenge in May of 2010 to encourage Oakland County residents, businesses and local governments to reduce their energy consumption by 10% by the end of 2012," said Patterson. "The OakGreen Challenge Awards are an added incentive for homeowners to improve their energy efficiency." For additional information, go to www.oakgov.com/oakgreen and click on "Take the Challenge." The following are the sponsors of the OakGreen Challenge Awards: * Fishbeck, Thompson, Carr & Huber. * Johnson Controls. * Environmental Consulting & Technology. * Hubbell, Roth & Clark. * Harley Ellis Devereaux will assist with judging. The 2011 OakGreen Summit was held last week at the Oakland Schools building in Waterford. The summit focused on the role of local governments in buildings and fleet energy efficiency. Published: Tue, May 24, 2011