Are you one of those people who obsessively turns off lights and other electric appliances when leaving the room? If so, it might be time to look for a job with the State of New Hampshire, where Gov. Jeanne Shaheen (D) is now offering up to $10,000 to state employees who devise innovative ways to cut the state’s annual $18.5 million energy bill. The initiative was born out of a long-ignored 1983 state law that permits the governor’s office to offer cash incentives to workers who go above and beyond the call of duty to save money for the state. Implemented at the beginning of this month, the Kill-A-Watt contest will reward the three “E-Teams” that produce the most impressive energy savings in government buildings by Nov. 1. The program is the brainchild of New Hampshire energy czar Hamilton McLean, who was hired to reduce power bills in a state that has no comprehensive list of how many buildings it owns, what types of fuel they use, or how much energy they burn.
