About the Campaign
In 2005, as energy supplies tightened and energy prices skyrocketed, 23 companies, trade associations, and nonprofits joined together in a Power Is in Your Hands campaign to help consumers lower their winter energy usage and bills.
Energy prices finally started dropping in fall 2006, but the average U.S. household will still pay nearly $5,000 in 2006 to power its home and vehicles— a substantial amount from any budget and 32 percent higher than just two years ago.
Energy efficiency is like an "insurance policy" against roller coaster energy prices. No matter the price of the energy we use – whether it's wind, solar, biofuels, nuclear, gasoline, natural gas, electricity, heating oil, propane, or diesel – we can all have greater control over our energy bills and the shape of our world by using it wisely. All it takes to help us do that is "small steps" — developing energy-efficient habits or using energy-efficient products and technologies. It's easy. The power is in our hands. The powerful combination of smart energy practices and energy efficiency simultaneously reduces:
- energy bills
- pollution
- greenhouse gas emissions
And increases:
- comfort
- energy security
- economic security
The average U.S. household will be paying nearly $5,000 in 2006 to power homes and vehicles - 32 percent higher than just two years ago.
To bring these points to life, the Power Is in Your Hands Partners initiated the new 6° of Energy Efficiency Web Challenge—the heart of our new campaign which offers the following elements:
Test your Energy IQ with a quick, six-question quiz. It's easy. Simply:
- Take the quiz and take the 6° of Energy Efficiency Challenge to become eligible for a discount on an energy-efficient product that can reduce your energy bills.
- Then please help spread the word by telling six friends about the 6° of Energy Efficiency Challenge.
6° of Energy Efficiency highlights the surprising interconnectedness of energy-related issues. In ever-widening circles of action/reaction across the globe, our energy use affects:
- Ourselves
- Our families
- Our communities
- Our states
- Our country
- Our world
Energy use touches many things we care about:
- The energy prices we pay at the pump and in our homes.
- Our home comfort -- or discomfort if we don't do it right.
- The air we breathe and our respiratory health.
- Our economic well-being.
- Our energy security.
- The world we leave behind.
You don't have to take the quiz or the challenge to share your energy or energy-efficiency story on the website or to keep returning with new stories. We are particularly interested in stories that would be helpful to others.
Campaign contacts, news releases, facts and figures, and other helpful information are in this section.
Phase 2 campaign
The new phase 2 campaign also will include other elements:
- Energy-efficiency makeovers of the homes of needy families to highlight the dilemma of millions who are hard-pressed to pay their energy bills.
- Extensive materials and additional tips to help consumers .
- Broad media outreach to get the word out to consumers.
- Forums to educate national, regional, and local policymakers.