The Project Lightbulb Challenge has a slightly different approach compared to other Civic Works programs geared toward energy conservation. Rather than focusing on the neighborhood level, we are focused at the block level, and this has been so effective for the scope of our project. Now that we have been out on our blocks, in action, for about four and a half months, we have really fostered some strong relationships with our participants. Some days, we may visit a block four or five times over the course of the afternoon, doing home visits, fliering, or re-stickering our signs. I love when we see the same faces on the porch fronts several times a day, and have a few moments to joke around or listen to a few anecdotes. Better yet, residents really turn to us for resources and advice about their energy usage and bills, and it feels good to be able to refer them to other Civic Works programs, or simply schedule a time to sit down with them ourselves. It feels good to have such an active presence on our blocks, and as we get to know our residents, we get to know their families and friends, some of whom live on different blocks. I guess my point in all of this is, to some folks, ten blocks may seem like a pretty small portion of the city...but when you are concentrating at the block level, you form such strong relationships with the residents of those blocks that networking becomes so much easier. If the Project Lightbulb Challenge continues in the future, I have great faith that our current participants will be an invaluable resource in the recruitment of the next challenge blocks.

This week in updates, we are still chugging along with the IHD installations, following up with residents who have received their new BGE meters and teaching them how to use their devices. The journals that Muhammed and I made are very simple and straightforward, which I hope encourages religious usage. The journals are in calendar format, each day having a space to fill out readings from the device. Residents can fill out readings for "Today" (usage so far today) "This Month" (usage so far this month), and "Right Now" (the rate of kWh usage at any given moment). Each month has its own page in the journal, and on the backs of the calendars are monthly surveys to rate usage and satisfaction. It was so great the other day when we visited one of our residents on Cecil Avenue to drop off his journal and check in to see how he was liking the device. The man was so excited to show us one of his discoveries; when he turned on the microwave, the kWh usage rate jumped from $0.07 to $0.31 per hour! It was so rewarding to see a resident actively using the device, and learning how much energy various appliances in his home use. These are the kinds of findings we would love our participants to record in their journals.

This evening we are hosting a block meeting for the 2500 and 2600 blocks of Cecil Avenue. The weather looks a bit ominous, but hopefully it clears up by 6:30. It is really crunch time for recruitment, and these block meetings have been very successful. Our recruitment efforts are at an all-time high, but because of the time sensitivity of the block party application process, we are deciding this week which block will receive the block party, based on both energy savings data and participation. Muhammed and I are very excited to start planning the block party. Stay tuned--we will reveal the winning block in our upcoming post!