Loudoun County’s Employee Energy Challenge has been recognized by the Association of Energy Engineers (AEE) as the 2023 Innovative Energy Project of the Year in the mid-Atlantic and Southeast region of the United States.
Every month, Loudoun County employees have the opportunity to pledge to take action to help save energy. The actions are simple, such as turning off lights and computers when not in use, setting printers to double-sided printing, recycling recyclable materials and more. Three employees are selected at random each month and receive energy-efficient LED light bulbs as a prize.
Since 2013, when the program began, more than 2,700 Loudoun County employees have made more than 20,000 pledges and more than 6,400 energy-efficient light bulbs have been distributed. The employees’ individual actions have resulted in an energy reduction of more than 750,000 kilowatt-hours and a carbon dioxide emissions reduction of 532 metric tons, which is equivalent to the electricity use of about 100 average homes over a year’s time.
The AEE is a nonprofit organization representing more than 28,000 professionals in 105 countries. The AEE’s awards program recognizes individuals, organizations and projects in energy management, energy efficiency, sustainability and related fields.
The internal monthly energy pledge illustrates one of the three main goals of Loudoun County’s 2023 Energy Strategy, which is “leading by example in county government operations.” As part of the Energy Strategy, a new Employee Energy and Conservation Committee has been launched to develop additional recommendations to save energy and resources from county operations. The energy strategy, approved by the Board of Supervisors, also calls for supporting clean energy development in the county and stimulating communitywide action. More information about the county’s energy initiatives is online at loudoun.gov/energy.
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