Community Gets Behind HEET Effort

Houghton County is one of 50 semifinalists for the Georgetown University Energy Prize, a nationwide competition challenging communities across the USA to reduce energy consumption. The community which most drastically reduces energy consumption will be the winner of a $5 million dollar prize.

A celebratory kickoff/announcement is being held today at the Houghton County Courthouse Circuit Courtroom today at 11am.  The event is open to the public.

The Houghton Energy Efficiency Team…or HEET…will partner with utilities and other groups to expand upon the work already being done, as well as explore alternative energy sources in order to reduce energy consumption, and more importantly power bills, in Houghton County for the two-year duration of the competition.

The community is encouraged to help win the Prize for Houghton County by taking some simple actions at home, such as caulking windows and doors and turning down the thermostat at night.

The local business community has already taken a step in jump-starting this effort for Houghton County residents by offering a 10% discount on weatherization products for anyone mentioning HEET at the time of purchase. This discount is valid at Ace Hardware of Calumet, Risto’s Hardware in Hancock and Swift True Value in Houghton.

Efficiency UNITED will also be offering discounts on energy saving products at their booths from 1 to 8 p.m. at Pat’s Foods, Hancock, and Econofoods, Houghton.