Employee Buy-in: Energy Savings

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Read below for a great idea by the Alexandria Fire and EMS Department. The Department is trying to cut costs and energy consumption in its fire stations. The plan is below. This is an excellent example of coming up with a winning combination; Department/City referendum with reward to the employees. After all, the savings is totally up to the firefighters.

On Monday December 1, 2008, the Alexandria Fire and EMS Department will launch an energy saving competition among its eight fire stations in an effort to reduce energy consumption and make a positive impact on the environment, while saving City funds. Every month utility bills for each station will be compared to the previous month’s bills to determine the levels of energy used. The levels of energy saved and the percentage change used will be compared among all stations. The station that demonstrates the highest levels of saved energy will be recognized and rewarded.

Department Fire and EMS employees from the winning station will be rewarded with a dessert of the month. At the end of eleven months, the station with the greatest number of winning months will be rewarded with a dinner. The goals of the competition are to reduce energy usage in a competitive manner, to demonstrate the Department’s commitment to conserve energy, and to reduce utility costs in these tough fiscal times.

Ongoing research of creative ways for reducing energy waste will be shared with all Department personnel through “Tips of The Month.” Short-term measures for reducing energy consumption include adjusting thermostats, closing outside doors, shutting off electric appliances while not in use and cutting down on water usage. Longer-term measures may include sensored lighting and more efficient heat systems. The Department’s competition complements the City of Alexandria’s “Eco-City” initiative. The Department has set as its goal an annual reduction of five percent in utility usage.

Excerpt taken from Alexandria Fire EMS Department website.

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