Theresa and Michael Simaitis of Litchfield received $500 for winning an energy conservation contest.

Earlier this year, the Simaitis family of Litchfield routinely used enough electricity to generate bills of $260 or more per month.  The family reduced its energy use by 47 percent after signing up for a three-month conservation challenge sponsored by a high school science class and the town’s new Energy Task Force.
On Thursday, Theresa and Michael Simatis received a $500 check for winning the competition during an energy conservation program at the Oliver Wolcott Library.

The prize money was donated by the League of Women Voters of Litchfield County in memory of Betty Katzin,. She was a former league president and environmental activist.

“I think our biggest savings was we didn’t use our clothes dryer at all,” Theresa Simaitis said.  The family also shunned air-conditioning during the contest, which lasted from July through September, and unplugged household appliances when not in use.

“I just became a nut,” she said.  “It paid off.”  The Simaitis’ electric bill now runs $120 to $130 per month.  They saved $407 during the contest and reduced usage by 47 percent, compared to electric bills for the same period in 2008.

Michael Simaitis said the three-month contest was “long enough to establish new habits. They are there now.”  The couple plans to use the prize money to pay for a home energy audit and buy a new, front-loading washing machine.

“They’re much more energy-efficient and use less water,” Theresa Simaitis said.
Jeff and Nadine Pratt were the runners-up in the competition.  They reduced their electricity usage by 18 percent.  Christine and Eugene Horrigan of Litchfield were the most frugal electricity consumers in the contest; they used only 943 kilowatt hours during the three-month period.

The program included the showing of Kilowatt Hours: A Plan to Re-energize America, a documentary film by Jeff Barrie about energy conservation.  The film showed mountains being exploded in West Virginia to mine coal.  In the past 30 years, some 450 Appalachian mountaintops have been removed to mine coal, Barrie said.  The average household uses about 900 kilowatt hours of electricity per month, which is equal to about five tons of coal per year.

Barrie says people can take small steps that make a difference.  They include installing compact florescent bulbs, which use 20 watts of electricity compared to 100 watts for incandescent bulbs; buying appliances marked with the Energy Star logo, which signals efficiency, sealing air ducts, and insulating walls and attics.

The film also showcased energy initiatives around the country.  The traffic signals in Birmingham, Alabama, have been outfitted with LED lights, which use 90 percent less energy than traditional incandescent bulbs.  In Berwyn, Illinois, The World’s Largest Laundromat installed huge solar panels on the roof to heat all its hot water.  The panels will pay for themselves in six years and last 20 years.
The film is available for lending at the library.  Patrons also may borrow one of the library’s four kilowatt meters, which plug into household appliances and give energy readings.

Home energy audits are available for $75 through Competitive Resources Inc.  For more information, contact the Home Energy Solutions program at www.HESProgram.com or call 1-888-403-3500.  Mention the Litchfield High School Greener Impact Club, and CRI will donate $25 to the club.  Greener Impact was formed by students in the advanced placement environmental studies class taught by Dean Birdsall.

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