Chattanooga takes on energy challenge; the prize is $5 million, lower energy bills

GreenSpaces executive director, Michael Walton, speaks Wednesday at green|spaces about a program that is aimed at reducing energy consumption. GreenSpaces executive director, Michael Walton, speaks Wednesday at green|spaces about a program that is aimed at reducing energy consumption.

By Mitra Malek January 15, 2015 3 min read

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Residents can learn about Empower at several community meetings: Jan. 26, 5:30 p.m.: East Chattanooga Center, 2409 Dodson Ave. Jan. 27, 5:30 p.m.: East Lake Center, 3701 Dodds Ave. Feb. 2, 5:30 p.m.: Highland Park, 1700 Duncan Ave. TO APPLY Avondale residents can apply for free energy-saving home retrofits, Feb. 1 – Feb. 28. How? At any EPB location By calling 423-648-1372 Online at epb.net

Energy bills for Chattanooga residents in Highland Park, East Lake and East Chattanooga could shrink considerably in the next couple of years, if a new program aimed at doing just that takes off.

Announced Wednesday, Empower also could win the city $5 million from the Georgetown University Energy Prize.

Here’s the twist: Those bills would drop because of smarter use of electricity, the aim of Georgetown’s contest — also helping residents live healthier and more sound lives, Empower’s ultimate goal.

“It’s a broader challenge,” said Michael Walton, executive director of GreenSpaces, which is spearheading Empower. EPB and Chattanooga play big roles too, with a couple of dozen other organizations involved.