Ark Valley and Touchstone Energy bring Caulk and Talk to local radio
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His Highness Doug Rye, the "King of Caulk and Talk," offers entertaining and practical advice on increasing energy efficiency and lowering home utility bills on his weekly radio show "Home Remedies." A licensed architect, Rye also presents seminars to utilities, contractors and other professional groups. (photo courtesy of Heathcott Associates)
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Do-it-yourselfers who tune in to KWBW-AM radio on Sunday mornings hear a home improvement show with a different message—how to save money through energy-efficient building practices—presented by Ark Valley Electric Cooperative of Hutchinson, Kan., and Touchstone Energy.
Doug Rye spreads his message of energy-efficient building through his weekly "Home Remedies" radio show. "The King of Caulk and Talk" preaches a combination of tight insulation, geothermal heating and cooling systems and efficient hot water heaters to lower home utility bills. His weekly broadcasts also identify common energy drains in building structures and offer solutions to plug the leaks.
Marketing conference presentation leads to proposal
Ark Valley General Manager Bob Hall attended one of Rye's presentations at an REC marketing conference and found himself wishing that everyone in his service territory could hear what Rye had to say. "I knew our membership could really benefit from Doug's show," he said.
Reaching every household in Ark Valley's nine-county service area would take money and coordination, and Hall knew the utility would need a partner to get "Home Remedies" on the air. He approached Touchstone Energy's state committee with a proposal for cosponsoring the program statewide. "It was as much for their name and their organizational capabilities as for the money," he explained.
The committee was intrigued by the idea. "We agreed with Bob that the program would be a great resource for our members to make available to their consumers," said Shana Holsteen, communications director for Kansas Electric Cooperatives, Inc., and chair of Touchstone Energy's Kansas Executive Council. "Doug Rye is a well-known expert in home energy efficiency, and the show is very entertaining and accessible."
Holsteen also noted that Rye's advocacy of geothermal heating fit well with the goals of many distribution co-ops. "A lot of our member services managers are strong supporters of the technology."
Unfortunately, funding for statewide sponsorship was simply not in Touchstone Energy's annual budget. Not willing to pass up the opportunity altogether, Touchstone Energy and Ark Valley agreed on a six-month pilot project. During that period, the local co-op and Touchstone Energy split the sponsorship cost on one radio station.
Touchstone Energy's advertising consultant recommended KWBW-AM in Hutchinson, Kan., because it reaches most of Ark Valley's territory. "It's also the only AM station in the area," commented Hall. "We have lots of FM stations, but their programming is so diverse, the audience for any one station would be too narrow."
Local, statewide promotion build program support
Ark Valley promoted the show to its members through its Web site and in the center section of Kansas Country Living, a monthly magazine for consumers published by KEC. The show has been well received so far. "We've gotten a lot of positive comments from our members—and a few complaints about the time slot," Hall noted wryly.
"Home Remedies" runs from 9 to 10 a.m. on Sunday morning—a time when many people, including Hall, are at church. "It was the only time slot we could afford," he said. "At least people know about the show and are interested in it. We are looking at ways to make it more accessible in the future."
KEC has done its share of promotion for "Home Remedies," as well. Rye was the keynote speaker at the KEC Marketing Conference in May. Holsteen also distributed CDs of a recent show to attendees at the association's June managers' meeting.
At the end of the pilot project, Ark Valley and Touchstone Energy will evaluate member response and gauge the interest of other electric utilities in sponsoring "Home Remedies." Hall admitted that the latter factor would be hard to predict since electric co-ops in Kansas are often struggling to build, rather than reduce, load. He is hopeful, however, that Touchstone Energy will be sufficiently impressed with consumer interest to support the program statewide. "It's really about wise energy use, and that's good for everybody, whether they get their power from electricity or gas."
