What Is Kilowatt Crackdown Challenge?

The KWCC is the Kilowatt Crackdown Challenge.  It is CFEEA’s (See What Is CFEEA? page) first sustainability challenge for Central Florida.  The Kilowatt Crackdown Challenge is a community-wide challenge to reduce Central Florida energy use 30% by 2012

Topics Discussed On This Page:

Why is CFEEA with Kilowatt Crackdown Challenge a Priority Program for Net Impact Orlando?
Why is the Kilowatt Crackdown Challenge Attractive to Businesses and Institutions?
Kilowatt Crackdown Challenger Commitments
Kilowatt Crackdown Challenge Goal
Who Has Already Taken the Kilowatt Crackdown Challenge?
Kilowatt Crackdown Challenge Initial Focus and Funding
Taking the Kilowatt Crackdown Challenge

Why is CFEEA with Kilowatt Crackdown Challenge a Priority Program for Net Impact Orlando?

See our website page, ‘What is CFEEA?’ for more about why Net Impact Orlando considers CCFEEA/KWCC a high priority program.  The Kilowatt Crackdown Challenge specifically is important because:

• It is the first community-wide sustainability initiative.
• It is aimed at all of Central Florida.
• It has an aggressive, but achievable goal focused on building energy use.
• It gives Net Impact Orlando an excellent vehicle to engage businesses and their employees on the first simple steps on the path to sustainability.
• The core of the Kilowatt Crackdown is the free tool from the EPA called Energy Star Portfolio Manager that allows an institution to measure, baseline, benchmark, track, and manage energy use for an individual building online.

Central Florida is behind on sustainability progress whether viewed with any of the following lenses:

• Energy Use
• Application of Renewable Energy, Solar
• Water Conservation (sure don’t want to get to position CA is in)
• Total Waste
• Support of Local Growers (OurLando making significant contribution to building our local grower community)
• Recycling (some of the lowest rates in the country, but a 75% goal from FL legislature passed)
• Building and retrofitting based LEED standards for LEED Certification
• Etc.

We have to rapidly accelerate Central Florida progress in all these areas and more.

Why is the Kilowatt Crackdown Challenge Attractive to Businesses and Institutions?

The Kilowatt Crackdown with its requirement to use the free, online EPA tool, Energy Star Portfolio Manager, is a not cost way for businesses to track and manage their energy and water use.  The very strong rule of thumb is that once you measure (baseline and benchmark), obvious and easy changes become apparent to reduce energy and water use thereby saving money.  Businesses and institutions get community exposure for supporting a major community initiative and sustainability while serving their best interest, saving money.  In the great majority of cases, once an organization is using Energy Star Portfolio Manager, the reduce water and energy use.  In these economic times, businesses and institutions can’t afford not to take the Kilowatt Crackdown and use Energy Star Portfolio Manager.

Value to Members

• Initiate a relationship and provide value at no cost to potential/target customers.
• Add value at no cost to existing customers.
• Connect with business leaders in a non-sales mode, truly oriented to contributing to the success of their business through savings and ability to manage energy and water use.
• Engage employees in Net Impact Orlando with a project in hand, getting their company into the KWCC and using Energy Star Portfolio Manager.
• Get caught up in the momentum to sign-up buildings for the KWCC, thereby truly helping to move Central Florida to more sustainability action and inspire more Central Floridians to be ‘bitten by the bug’ whether they are concerned with:
• Climate Change
• National Security Major Threat of US dependence on Foreign Oil
• Saving and restoring our environments, eco-systems and habitats
• Not using fuel at the expense of food stuffs
• Stopping building of any future coal or nuclear plants

Kilowatt Crackdown Challenger Commitments:

All CFEEA members and businesses or institutions that takes the community-wide Central Florida  Kilowatt Crackdown Challenge, commit to the following:

• Use the free EPA tool, Energy Star Portfolio Manager, to track and manage their energy use (water use is an added benefit, not part of the Challenge at this time).
• Work to decrease their energy use 10% in 2010, an additional 10% in 2011, and again 10% in 2012.
• Promote that they have taken the Kilowatt Crackdown Challenge and are using Energy Star Portfolio Manager.

Kilowatt Crackdown Challenge Goal:

• Overall Goal: Reduce Central Florida Energy Use 30% by 2012.
• 2010 Goal: Sign-up 2010 buildings for the Kilowatt Crackdown by June 30, 2010.

Who Has Already Taken the Kilowatt Crackdown Challenge?

Just some of the Challengers are:

• All CFEEA Founding Members, although some are still working loading all their buildings to KWCC at www.kwcrackdown.com.
• Orange County Environmental Protection Division and Health Department Building
• ColonialTown Realty
• Orlando Science Center
• HD Supply
• Orlando Brewing

The CFEEA team already has more than 1202 buildings committed just since its launch in October 2009.

Kilowatt Crackdown Challenge Initial Focus and Funding

Like CFEEA, the Kilowatt Crackdown Challenge program and promotion is being supported by Stimulus monies through the Department of Energy Efficiency Community Block Grant (EECBG) program that parsed out money to counties and cities.

The initial focus for the Kilowatt Crackdown Challenge is large commercial and institutional buildings.  Net Impact Orlando is driving for the ‘darlings’ of Orlando (buildings everyone knows) like the Orlando Science Center and a couple of buildings for businesses at the top of key Orlando business sectors.  However, any building entered taking the Challenge is a great thing.

Taking the Kilowatt Crackdown Challenge

Net Impact Orlando members have access to presentations they can tailor to inspire new CFEEA membership and for businesses and institutions to take the Kilowatt Crackdown, as well as a tracking sheet to help them ensure the new member engages.  See Net Impact Orlando CFEEA/KWCC Program.

For direct information on the Central Florida Kilowatt Crackdown Challenge and/or to Take the Kilowatt Crackdown Challenge go to www.kwcrackdown.com.