Presence Health Launches Energy-Efficiency Contest To Help Area Households Go Green, Cut Utility Bills

CHICAGO, July 19, 2013 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- Up to $900 of free electricity is top prize as 10 hospitals participate in a friendly competition to help Chicago-area homes go green and relieve the pain sparked by high air-conditioning bills, Presence Health and the Citizens Utility Board (CUB) announced Monday.

The Presence Health Energy Saver Competition is one step in a larger green campaign that last year saved more than $8 million for the Presence Health system. The competition—a collaboration of Presence Health, its "Inspirement Program," and CUB—aims to help hospital employees and the larger community take green habits home by using CUBenergysaver.com.

CUB's free, online energy-efficiency service has been showing people how to cut their home utility bills by more than $100 a year.

The contest is a good fit for Presence Health's goal of reducing its carbon footprint while maintaining the highest quality of medical care, organizers say. They hope energy-saving actions employees take at home will spark the same types of actions at the hospitals.

"Going green is contagious," said Stuart Hampson, director of facilities management at Presence St. Joseph Hospital in Chicago and co-chair of the system's green and sustainability council. "What we learn at home we can implement at work and vise versa. To be able to monitor your energy consumption routinely and research ways to reduce your energy bill is very important to us."

The Energy Saver contest pits the 10 Presence Health hospitals in a friendly competition to see which hospital can recruit the biggest CUB Energy Saver team. All hospital staff and community members who are Commonwealth Edison customers can join a hospital team of their choice at a special web page: www.CUBenergysaver.com/teams/presencehealth.

This summer, the hospitals would like to increase the involvement of their surrounding communities. Residents in the area of any of the participating hospitals are invited to join the competition before the Aug. 31 deadline for signing up. At summer's end, one member of the winning team will be randomly selected to win six months of free electricity, up to $900.

Managed by CUB and the software firm C3, based in Redwood City, Calif., CUBenergysaver.com allows ComEd customers to sign up and choose from hundreds of actions to build a customized plan to cut their home's utility bills. Since 2010, the tool has shown people how to save $2.3 million on natural gas and electric bills, for an average of about $108 a year.

 "Presence Health knows that green actions are good for our planet, and great for our pocketbooks," CUB Executive Director David Kolata said. "In its Energy Saver Competition, Presence Health has found a fun way to help homes across northern Illinois cut costs and go green—and one lucky family will win a big break on their power bills."

The Presence Health hospitals involved in the competition are: Presence Mercy Medical Center, Aurora; Presence Holy Family Medical Center, Des Plaines; Presence Our Lady of the Resurrection Medical Center, Chicago; Presence Resurrection Medical Center, Chicago; Presence Saint Joseph Hospital, Chicago; Presence Saints Mary and Elizabeth Medical Centers, Chicago; Presence Saint Joseph Hospital, Elgin; Presence Saint Francis Hospital, Evanston; Presence Saint Joseph Medical Center, Joliet; and Presence St. Mary's Hospital, Kankakee.

To join one of these teams, visit: www.CUBenergysaver.com/teams/presencehealth.

CUB is Illinois' leading nonprofit, nonpartisan utility watchdog organization. Created by the Illinois Legislature, CUB opened its doors in 1984 to represent the interests of residential and small-business utility customers. Since then, CUB has saved consumers more than $10 billion by helping to block rate hikes and secure refunds. For more information, call CUB's Consumer Hotline at 1-800-669-5556 or visit CUB's website, www.CitizensUtilityBoard.org.

The Inspirement program is helping Presence Health reduce its energy and waste expenses. This helps Presence Health to be a Greener and more Sustainable organization. Visit www.theinspiredworkplace.com/inspirement-program for more information. 

Presence Health was created in November 2011 through a merger of Provena Health and Resurrection Health Care. They offer more than 150 locations around the state of Illinois. The system includes 12 hospitals, 27 long-term care and senior living facilities, dozens of physician offices and health care centers, and more. Visit www.presencehealth.org for more information.

SOURCE Citizens Utility Board