(Boulder, CO) – The Southwest Energy Efficiency Project (SWEEP) today gave the 2016 Leadership in Energy Efficiency Awards to the City of Las Vegas Office of Sustainability, Rocky Mountain Power and Xcel Energy. Howard Geller, SWEEP’s executive director, presented the awards at the Thirteenth Annual Southwest Utility Energy Efficiency Workshop, which SWEEP hosted at the Red Rock Resort in Las Vegas, NV.

“Las Vegas has demonstrated that there is at least one sin—wasting energy—that it no longer finds acceptable. Rocky Mountain Power and Xcel Energy scaled up their efficiency programs in recent years, exceeded their energy savings goals and helped their customers save over $2 billion as a result,” Geller said.

Las Vegas cut its electric bill 30 percent

Las Vegas has improved the energy efficiency of most of its municipal buildings and streetlights by installing energy-sipping light-emitting diodes (LED) in place of traditional light bulbs and by retrofitting buildings to meet the Leadership in Energy & Environmental Design, a green building certification program that recognizes best-in-class building strategies and practices. Six municipal buildings, including City Hall, are LEED certified, and the city converted 42,000 streetlights to LEDs. As a result, the city’s electric bill shrank by more than 30 percent between 2008 and 2015, saving the city more than $5 million per year. The cost savings from these energy efficiency projects will help the city transition to 100 percent renewable electricity.

Rocky Mountain Power helped customers save $900 million in energy costs

Rocky Mountain Power, a division of PacifiCorp, increased the budget for its energy efficiency programs in Utah from $34 million in 2008 to $66 million in 2016, thereby reducing 2015’s total electric consumption by more than 1.8 billion kilowatt-hours. The declines in electrical use occurred even as the population grew in much of the company’s service area, which covers most of Utah and parts of Wyoming. Households and businesses served by Rocky Mountain Power will save $900 million because of the energy efficiency programs the utility company implemented during 2008-2015.

Xcel Energy will help customers save $1.2 billion

Xcel Energy increased the budget for its electric energy efficiency programs in Colorado from $20 million in 2008 to $92 million in 2016. The utility has exceeded the energy savings goals set by the Colorado Public Utilities Commission every year since 2008, and in doing so reduced electricity consumption in 2015 by more than eight percent. Households and businesses served by Xcel Energy will save more than $1.2 billion as a result of the energy efficiency programs implemented during 2008-2015.

For further information contact: Penelope Purdy, Director of Communications, Southwest Energy Efficiency Project 303-447-0078, ext. 5, cell 303-885-4909 ppurdy@swenergy.org

About SWEEP: The Southwest Energy Efficiency Project (SWEEP) is a public interest organization dedicated to advancing energy efficiency in Arizona, Colorado, Nevada, New Mexico, Utah, and Wyoming. To learn more, visit www.swenergy.org.