STANWOOD — The C-Hawks won.
Sixteen local businesses, in two teams of eight, just completed Snohomish County PUD’s five-month Energy Challenge to see which team could save the most energy.
One team called the C-Hawks team cut their overall energy use by 11.4 percent while the other, Watt Watchers, cut theirs by 11.1 percent.
The PUD recognized all the participants during an awards ceremony at the Stanwood City Council meeting on Thursday.
The winning team included: Ace Hardware of Stanwood; Amigo Family Mexican Restaurant; Coastal Community Bank; John L Scott Real Estate; Pelletier + Schaar; RE/MAX Associate Brokers; Thomas &Associates Insurance; and Tony Hewlett Family Dentistry.
Watt Watchers included: Crowley Dental; Designs Northwest; Dos Reales Taqueria; Northwest Veterinary Clinic; Stanwood Hardware; State Farm Insurance; The Chatterbox; and Windermere Real Estate.
In individual categories, awards were given to Northwest Veterinary Clinic, which cut use by 20 percent in the first month, and Designs Northwest, which saved 38 percent in the final month.
The Most Valuable Saver award went to Windermere.
Most businesses just made efforts to turn off lights and keep the thermostat turned down low during the colder months. Stanwood Hardware linked all of their electronics to a single device to be able to switch everything off at once.
The businesses all were equipped with a high-tech monitoring systems that tracked their progress.
Each business owner was able to view their company’s energy usage on a tablet, making it easier to see their personal impact.
Snohomish County PUD created the competition, which ran from February through June.
Aside from the friendly camaraderie developed within the companies, the challenge also was meant to bring the community together.
Stanwood’s economic makeup is similar and comparable to some surrounding cities, should the PUD decide to try and replicate this program.
More info: www.stanwoodchallenge.com.
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