Alliance to Save Energy Multimedia Campaign Spotlights Benefits of Energy-Efficient Homes to Pocketbook, Planet

With a cold winter on the heels of record-setting summer temperatures and soaring energy bills, a new Alliance to Save Energy multimedia campaign with elements reaching all 50 states spotlights the multiple consumer and environmental benefits of energy efficiency.

Based on market research with homeowners and educators in five states, the national home energy campaign combines TV and radio spots and a print collateral consumer booklet with the power of the web for an animated, interactive touch with streaming audio and video.

• Animated Home Sweet Home TV spots. The :60, :30, :10 second public service spots follow a delightful animated family — complete with a playful dog — as they capture lost home energy dollars and discover ways to cut utility bills and energy use, increase their comfort, reduce pollution, and relax afterward while these benefits continue with little additional effort. The spot has appeared in prime-time and early-evening critically-acclaimed shows such as "NYPD Blue," "The Drew Carey Show," "Frasier," and "Dateline NBC."
• Home Sweet Home and Beach Boys radio spots. Matching Home Sweet Home plus Beach Boys radio spots emphasize the same pocketbook, planet message. Noting that the average house produces twice as much carbon dioxide as the average car, the Beach Boys’ Mike Love and Bruce Johnston tout energy-efficient products — and those bearing the ENERGY STAR label — to prevent further air and water pollution.
• Illustrated Power Smart consumer booklet. Packed with easy to read tips, a collateral consumer booklet, PowerSmart: Easy Tips to Save Money and the Planet, provides homeowners with the power and the knowledge to make wise energy choices that meet their lifestyles and needs. Today’s smart, energy-efficient technologies can cut home utility bills by at least 30 percent while also reducing energy use and needless air pollution.
• Animated, interactive consumer web site with streaming video and audio. All campaign elements can be previewed on the Alliance’s website on the Consumer, Educator, and Media areas. To match the TV spots, PowerSmart is animated on the web. An interactive Home Energy Checkup provides homeowners with a quick analysis of energy-efficient home improvement potential, considering climate types and energy prices while calculating the dollar and pollution savings. TV and radio spots can be found at www.homesweethome.org.
• Educator website. To meet a specific need identified in market research with educators, the Alliance provides elementary and middle-school science teachers with free lesson plans on energy to incorporate in their classrooms.

"This is an important campaign because energy production and use account for nearly 80 percent of air pollution, more than 88 percent of heat-trapping greenhouse gas emissions, and more environmental damage than any other human activity," reports Alliance President David M. Nemtzow. "Fortunately, affordable energy-efficient technologies and products can provide more comfortable homes and meet our other modern-day energy needs without sacrifice."