NES, TVA Celebrate Community Power Challenge

Nashville Electric Service (NES), one of the 12 largest public electric utilities in the nation, and the Tennessee Valley Authority (TVA) hosted a Community Power Challenge celebration to thank participants for helping Nashville become more energy efficient. The event also recognized the five participating properties: Chippington Towers, Margaret Robertson, Neely Meadows, Eastwood and Rex Court. The celebration took place at East Park Community Center on Nov. 6 from 4 – 6 p.m. and announced Chippington Towers as the winner of the competition.

The Community Power Challenge was an energy education pilot program and competition for low-income, multifamily properties that launched in October 2018. The pilot, which ran through October 2019, offered strategic energy management best practices for the property owners, management and staff, and energy education, engagement and outreach specifically tailored to residents of multifamily properties.

The properties involved in the competition were given opportunities to earn points throughout the year for making energy efficiency part of their ongoing operations and maintenance process. Points could be earned by discussing energy efficiency strategies in monthly meetings, attending check-in calls, resident participation, and any specific energy-related improvements to the buildings.

Showing appreciation for all participants who have helped make Nashville more energy efficient, the Community Power Challenge celebrated with food, a live DJ, activities for children, games, giveaways and more.

“We are excited to celebrate with the participants of the Community Power Challenge pilot program, as they provided us with the opportunity to utilize an energy education program tailored specifically for customers in multifamily homes,” said Decosta Jenkins, NES President and CEO. “Our customers have different needs and we want to help meet those needs while providing safe and reliable power.”

The goal of the Community Power Challenge was to develop a sustainable energy education program for low-income, multifamily property customers. Activities in the pilot program included:

  • A site assessment to better understand the makeup of each customer’s property and to determine where energy can be saved
  • Benchmarking current energy usage through ENERGY STARÒ Portfolio Manager
  • Monthly coaching, personalized action plans, and cohort-style workshops for property management and staff
  • Expert guidance on ENERGY STAR standards and technical advice
  • Energy workshops and monthly education for residents
  • Tracking and evaluation to document improvements and energy savings

“TVA is grateful for all those who participated in the Community Power Challenge pilot to help make Nashville more energy efficient,” said Cindy Herron, Vice President of TVA EnergyRight. “Our mission is to assist all residents with their energy needs. Seeing the success of a new approach to educating low-income, multifamily property residents on energy efficiency and helping them long term is certainly something to celebrate.”

Customers who participated in this pilot were the first to help NES and TVA shape a program that has become a model for more properties in Nashville and across the Tennessee Valley region.