52 Communities Competing for Energy Efficiency: Georgetown University Energy Prize Selects Competitors to Advance to the Quarterfinals

WASHINGTON, D.C. (August 11, 2014) – The City of Madison, WI was just selected to advance to the quarterfinals round of the Georgetown University Energy Prize (GUEP), a $5 million incentive competition to reduce America’s energy consumption.

Madison submitted an application in June when the city also secured signed commitments of collaboration electric and natural gas utilities, and community-based organizations.

"As Mayor of Madison, I fully support the city’s efforts to engage our residents in energy-saving efforts and commit to having the city develop an energy plan that will result in reducing energy costs in citizens’ homes."

The City of Madison is among a very select group of only 52 small- and medium-sized cities and counties from across the country that have advanced to the quarterfinals round of the competition.

The City of Madison has a long history of being a community whose citizens care about the environment. Madison has high rates of recycling, bike ridership, and bus ridership. The city of Madison is ready to compete with cities throughout the country to lower energy use in homes and apartments.

In total, over the two years of the GUEP competition, participants have the potential to save more than $1 billion in total energy costs and cut millions of tons of CO2 emissions.

Dr. Slakey, a Lecturer on Physics and Public Policy at Georgetown University who specializes in energy and security policy, remarked that, "The communities we selected are leaders in energy efficiency who will develop innovative approaches that will inspire and enable others to follow in their footsteps."

Over the next few months we will fine tune our energy efficiency plans, and we will be reaching out to a broad group of stakeholders to gather the best ideas to reduce energy and carbon emissions.

To learn more about the Georgetown University Energy Prize and to track the competition’s progress, visit www.guep.org, or follow the Prize on Twitter (@GUEnergyPrize).

About Georgetown University Energy Prize
The Georgetown University Energy Prize aims to rethink America’s energy use by harnessing the ingenuity and community spirit of towns and cities all across America. Over the course of a two-year period, the Prize will challenge small- to medium-size towns, cities, and counties to rethink their energy use and implement creative strategies to increase efficiency. To compete for the Prize, local governments, residents, utilities, and others will need to work together to demonstrate success in sustainably reducing energy consumption. For more information, visit www.guep.org.

About Georgetown University
Georgetown University is the oldest and largest Catholic and Jesuit University in America, founded in 1789 by Archbishop John Carroll. Georgetown, today, is a major student-centered, international research university offering respected undergraduate, graduate and professional programs in Washington, D.C., Doha, Qatar, and around the world. For more information about Georgetown University, visit www.georgetown.edu.