Drumroll, please! The results from the first month of The Austin Chronicle Kill-a-Watt Challenge are in. Ten businesses and 563 people signed on in June, allowing Austin Energy to compare participants’ June electricity use from this summer to that of last year, and the participants with the highest savings are our inaugural winners. This group shows dramatic savings, no doubt in part because of low temperatures (June’s peak temperature was only 94 degrees, as opposed to last year’s 101-degree high), but each winner reports taking steps to curb energy use as well. Our winning homeowner replaced her old air-conditioning unit with a new, more efficient one. Several winners traded out incandescent lightbulbs for compact fluorescents. One business, Brown Distributors, exchanged hundreds of 400-watt lightbulbs for 218-watt alternatives and switched from four-bulb to three-bulb light fixtures; others replaced the weather stripping on their doors, ran only full loads in dishwashers, turned their computers off more often, and replaced old refrigerators. All in all, June’s challengers saved 132,981 kilowatt hours of electricity compared to last year, thereby reducing their carbon-dioxide emissions by 70 tons. (Cue manic applause.)

For more details on June’s results, challenge rules, prizes, and more, see austinchronicle.com/watt. The Kill-a-Watt Challenge’s sign-up deadline is Sept. 20. Monthly winners, as well as those with the best overall summer savings, receive prizes.

Individual Winners

Homeowners

Louise Joubert, 88.46%

Ryan Matthews, 80.52%

Aldia Bluewillow, 77.44%

Chad Smith, 75.6%

Debra Beene, 75.26%

Renters

Jessica Rosales, 80.5%

Sarah Wees, 80.14%

Kelly Lemmon, 79.6%

Patricia Chawla, 79.57%

Andrea Junker, 79%

Neighborhoods and Businesses

Nick Littlejohn of the Kill-a-Watt Challenge first month business winner (by percentage savings), Electric Cars of Austin

We recognize two types of winners in these categories: those who reduced their electricity use by the highest percentage compared to last year and those who showed the greatest overall drop in kilowatt hours. Neighborhood boundaries are based on approved and pending neighborhood-planning areas, as well as vertical mixed-use application areas under consideration by the city (see austinchronicle.com/watt/map to find out which neighborhood area you live in). Neighborhood results are based on the average electricity usage of residents participating in the Kill-a-Watt Challenge.

Neighborhoods (by percentage savings)

Old West Austin, 44.46%

Brentwood, 36.9%

South Manchaca, 36.19%

South River City, 32.76%

Cherry Creek, 30.21%

Neighborhoods (by overall kilowatt savings)

Cherry Creek, 7,751 kilowatt hours

Brentwood, 7,324 kWh

South River City, 4,250 kWh

North Loop, 4,235 kWh

Pond Springs, 4,142 kWh

Businesses (by percentage savings)

Electric Cars of Austin, 45.5%

SWCA Environmental Consultants, 37.39%

Roz-Mina Montessori School, 30.77%

Businesses (by overall kilowatt savings)

Brown Distributors, 11,100 kWh

Texaco Brakermart, 8,840 kWh

SWCA Environmental, 4,079 kWh

This article appears in August 3 • 2007.

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