Vectren Energy Awards Monroe County Energy Challenge $59,000 to Fund EnergyMobile

[image:23907,right]

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

May 22, 2015

For more information, please contact:

Jacqui Bauer, Sustainability Coordinator, City of Bloomington Department of Economic and Sustainable Development, 812.349.3837, bauerj@bloomington.in.gov

Doug Wilson, Director of Communications & Development, South Central Community Action Program, 812.339.3447, ext. 262, doug@insccap.org.

Vectren Energy Awards Monroe County Energy Challenge $59,000 to Fund EnergyMobile

Bloomington, Ind. - Vectren Energy is jumping into the Monroe County Energy Challenge in a big way. Starting this week, the brand new EnergyMobile, which is funded by a $58,603 grant from Vectren, will start rolling on the roads of Monroe County to share information about energy efficiency in schools, workplaces and neighborhoods.

The EnergyMobile, a Toyota Prius V hybrid, will be stocked with weatherization and efficiency materials, information on utility rebates, tools and a number of other items. The South Central Community Action Program (SCCAP), which received the grant and will own the vehicle, will use it both to support the Energy Challenge and as part of existing outreach programs.

The vehicle will be making its first rounds in the community on May 27 as it visits Bloomington High School South, Marlin Elementary School and Edgewood Primary School. Members of the media and the public are encouraged to come. A detailed schedule will be [available online|www.mocoenergychallenge.org].

"The EnergyMobile will be one of the main ways of getting information about the Challenge into the hands and homes of Monroe County residents," said Jacqui Bauer, City of Bloomington Sustainability Coordinator. "That will be critical in helping us meet our Energy Challenge goal of reducing residential energy use by at least 10% in the next two years."

"This vehicle will be such a great tool for making it as easy as possible for our clients and others to save energy and money, too," said SCCAP Executive Director Todd Lare.

"Even though energy efficiency is one of the best investments you can make, people don't always get around to it," said Tom Moore, Manager for Community Engagement of the Vectren Foundation. "We hope the EnergyMobile will help us change that and help the Monroe County community make huge strides in reducing energy usage."

In addition to the funds for the EnergyMobile, the grant includes funds to stock the vehicle with supplies and hire a SCCAP intern to help staff and operate it. Interested local organizations and individuals can request the EnergyMobile for events and door-to-door outreach by emailing [mocoenergychallenge@gmail.com|mailto:mocoenergychallenge@gmail.com] or calling 812.349.3837.

"We hope to have the EnergyMobile out and about in the community as much as possible, so we encourage people to get in touch to get on the schedule," said Lare. "We want this to be a community resource."

The Monroe County Energy Challenge is part of a nationwide competition for the $5 million Georgetown University Energy Prize. To win, a community needs to outcompete 49 other communities throughout the country to save energy and engage residents in innovative ways. The competition kicked off in January of this year.

For additional information about the MCEC, visit [mocoenergychallenge.org|www.mocoenergychallenge.org]. Updates and progress in the initiative also can be found on the [MCEC's Facebook page|www.facebook.com/mocoenergychallenge], or by following the program on [Twitter, @mocoenergy|https://twitter.com/mocoenergy].

About SCCAP

The South Central Community Action Program (SCCAP) is a nonprofit organization based in Bloomington, Ind. that has served low-income people for 50 years. Their mission is to provide opportunities for low-income citizens to move toward personal and economic independence. For more information, [visit SCCAP's website|http://www.insccap.org/].

###

[[image:23909]|http://mocoenergychallenge.org/]