The Department of Energy this week launched what will be a ten-month competition to see who can reduce their electricity use the most.Along with lower power bills, the winning household will take home a $600 travel voucher.The Department announced yesterday that it was searching for volunteers to take part in the competition.A Government spokeswoman explained: “Prior to the start of the competition, the Department of Energy will supply and install an electronic electricity meter into participant’s homes that will provide real-time information about their electricity consumption on their laptop or PC.“Every month contestants will check in with Department of Energy staff to share their electricity bills, which will then be compared with participant’s historical data to assess progress.”The staff will also offer advice and guidance to help participants along, measuring their progress compared with other competitors.Minister of Environment, Planning and Infrastructure Strategy Marc Bean said he hoped the competition would help demonstrate that making a few small changes, homeowners can save hundreds of dollars in power bills.“We believe that without doing very much that’s different to their current behaviours, the average resident can save 15 percent of their bills by just being aware of obvious energy waste,” Mr Bean said.“If an average homeowner pays about $350 per month on electricity bills, then that’s a saving of more than $600 per year that could be going toward many other things.“Through this contest, we hope to see ordinary people saving far more than that and have them sharing their success with the public.”To take part in the contest, you must have a residence with its own meter, wireless Internet connection with a home computer, and a copy of your electric bills from January of this year.Twenty selected participants will have meters installed between November 28 and December 31, with the competition beginning in January. They will be joined by Mr Bean, Director of Energy Jeane Nikolai, and Permanent Secretary for the Ministry of Environment, Planning and Infrastructure Strategy, who will take part in the initiative, but as passive participants rather than competitors.The first place winner will win a $600 travel voucher, while the top three competitors will be able to keep their metering devices.Those who are interested in participating can contact the Energy Department at energy[AT]gov.bm.