In this issue
		Energy Services Bulletin home page
		Marshall, Schwan lighting project puts custom in customer service
		Mor-Gran-Sou partners with Boy Scouts to change lights and the world
		Western's IR cameras help utilities, customers maintain efficiency
		Technology Spotlight: Energy efficiency in new and existing computer data centers
		Energy shorts
		Calendar of events

Mor-Gran-Sou partners with Boy Scouts to change lights and the world

Mandan Boy Scout Troop 54 with the CFLs they gave away to town residents to earn their environmental merit badges. The troop was only the second in the country to participate in Energy Star's Change a Light campaign. (Photo by Chad Bourgoin)

Even though compact fluorescent lights have been commercially available much longer than personal computers, cell phones or iPods, a few Mandan, N.D., residents didn't know what to make of the spiral bulbs or the Boy Scouts on their doorsteps offering them for free. 

"They must have thought there was some sort of catch," said Western Environmental Protection Specialist Chad Bourgoin, the environmental merit badge counselor for his son Shane's Boy Scout troop. "Here were the Boy Scouts teaming up with the utility to give them something that would help them save on their electric bills. I guess it sounded too good to be true."

Funding helps merit badge project

But Troop 54's Change a Light, Change the World pledge drive was a real offer with real benefits for the people who accepted the CFLs, for the scouts and for Western customer Mor-Gran-Sou Electric Cooperative, which funded the project. To earn an environmental awareness merit badge, scouts went door to door, giving free CFLs to Mandan residents and explaining how the lights could save energy and the environment. Mor-Gran-Sou provided a $500 grant to purchase the energy-efficient lights. 

Energy Star's annual Change a Light campaign encourages people to save energy with the simple step of replacing a conventional light with a CFL. Individuals take the online pledge to change one light at home or the office, or participate as a member of an organization, government agency or community. Pledges from the 2005 campaign alone had the potential to reduce more than 33 million pounds of greenhouse gas emissions and save more than 23 million kilowatthours of energy.

Door-to-door education

When Bourgoin submitted the grant proposal to Mor-Gran-Sou, the utility saw an opportunity to help its residents reduce their energy use and learn about the environment. Mor-Gran-Sou's charitable donation program funds projects in four categories: education and youth development, civic and community betterment; culture and arts and health and human services. "We look for projects that focus on social, economic and environmental betterment in the co-op’s service territory," explained Member Services Manager Jackie Miller. "Without a doubt, the Change a Light, Change the World program met those criteria."

With funding in hand, the troop approached local retailers. "We managed to get Lowe's and Home Depot to sell us the lights at near cost," said Bourgoin.

The Boy Scouts spent a Saturday afternoon going door to door in Mandan, giving away CFLs to any residents who were interested in reducing their energy consumption. Rather than ask each resident who took a light to take the online pledge, the troop reported the total number of lights distributed to Energy Star.

In three hours, 14 young men distributed more than 400 CFLS to households, along with energy-efficiency information Bourgoin downloaded from the Energy Star Web site. "That's enough to prevent 90 tons of greenhouse gas emissions," he observed.

Low rates don't rule out conservation

Mor-Gran-Sou especially liked the idea of working with the youth to spread the word about CFL technology and how small steps can add up. "Chad and the Scouts were very well-informed and enthusiastic about getting the energy-efficiency message out to our members," Miller said.

Miller provided a map of Mor-Gran-Sou's territory and acted as the troop's guide on the day they distributed their lights. The utility serves 5,000 members and about 7,800 meters, making the grassroots approach to customer education a natural. "I think our members really appreciated learning about a new way to save energy one-on-one," said Miller. "They tend to be conservative in their energy use anyway," she added.

Members who took CFLs will be pleased to know that altogether, the lights could save 113,928 kilowatthours. Over the lights' lifetime, that equates to a little more than $11,000 at Mor-Gran-Sou's current rates. A Mandan hardware store owner told a local newspaper covering the pledge drive that low electricity rates in the area may be one of the reasons CFLs are not more widely used.

Miller pointed out, however, that Mor-Gran-Sou recently completed construction on two new substations, and power demand keeps growing. "Meeting that demand comes at a cost. Even small conservation measures like CFLs can help utilities to manage growth and continue to provide affordable, reliable energy," she said.

Success may mean more outreach

The pledge drive was Mor-Gran-Sou's first involvement in the seven-year-old Change a Light campaign. Based on its success, the utility would definitely consider trying another project, said Miller. "Something for a wider audience, involving innovative technology, maybe," she suggested.

Chad Bourgoin and Mandan Boy Scout Troop 54 were also pleased with the outcome. "I felt tired ... but I felt good because we're trying to change what might happen to earth in the future," Shane Bourgoin reported.

His father noted that the troop is only the second in the United States to conduct a Change a Light pledge drive. Bourgoin expects more people and organizations will get involved in the future, though, since the campaign is a great way to raise energy awareness. "And even one effort on a Saturday afternoon can make a big difference," he said.