The BIG Energy Saving Challenge

Omagh pupils get artistic with Power NI’s BIG Picture Competition

6th April, 2012 8:12

Les O’Donnell from Transition Omagh; Helen O’Hanlan, Art Teacher at Dean Maguirc College; Aoife Dobbs – winning pupil and Wilma Stewart, Power NI.

Aoibhean Gill from St. Patrick’s Primary School, Eskra and Aoife Dobbs from Dean Maguirc College, Carrickmore have scooped top prizes in Power NI’s BIG Picture Competition.

Aoibhean, winner of the primary school age category, picked up a Nintendo 3DS as first prize for her eye catching ‘Think twice about energy’ entry while Aoife, winner in the secondary school age category, got her hands on the latest Ipod nano for her ‘energy efficiency tips’ picture.

The girls’ winning pictures were chosen from an impressive number of entries, both showing the various ways in which families can save energy and money by being more energy efficient around the home.

The competition was part of Power NI’s BIG Energy Saving Challenge project which local community group Transition Omagh is one of the six finalists, competing for £20,000 of energy saving funding for their area.

Commenting on the winning entries, Les O’Donnell from Transition Omagh said, “We are delighted that Aoibhean and Aoife have won these fantastic prizes. We recognise the importance of getting young people involved in energy saving and this competition was a great way of doing that.”

Kirsty Pollock from Power NI added “We received some very impressive entries from the Omagh pupils, but Aoibhean and Aoife’s pictures stood out as they contained some practical energy saving tips.

We hope the girls enjoy their prizes and continue to be ambassadors for energy saving in their local area.”

Time running out for BIG Picture entries

19th December, 2011 14:10

A reminder that closing date for entries for the ‘BIG Picture’ Competition is just over a month away with all submissions having to be in before 31st January, 2012.

To help young people get ‘switched on’ to the benefits of energy saving, Power NI launched the ‘BIG Picture’ Competition and have been calling on young people to express their creative side with some great prizes on offer.

Power NI are looking for entrants to paint, draw, colour-in or even photograph their interpretation of energy saving in their area. This could be anything from wind turbines to solar panels; the Power NI judging panel are looking for the most original ideas!

The competition is divided into two age sections for primary and secondary school pupils, and is open to all individuals within the local area. The winners from the Primary School section can win a new Nintendo 3DS while the Secondary School section will be competing for a new iPod.

Competition Overview

Terms and Conditions

1. The competition is open to all children of primary and secondary school age.
2. The picture/photograph must show the entrants interpretation of how to save energy in the home or community.
3. Entrants may only submit one picture/photograph each.
4. Pictures may be drawn in pencil, felt tip, crayon or painted.
5. Photographs entered must be taken in the UK.
6. Each entry should be submitted of a sheet of plain A3 or A4 paper, either portrait or landscape.
7. Images may be digitally enhance to remove spots or scratches but not manipulated. Entrants may enhance the picture to make it brighter, clearer etc but not manipulate the content. Power NI reserve the right to exclude any image they believe may have been excessively treated so as to alter its authenticity.
8. Entrants must attach their name, address, contact phone number, date of birth, school and class to their picture. Power NI will only ever use these personal details for the purposes of administering this scheme.
9. Entries should be sent to: Kirsty Pollock, Power NI, Woodchester House, 50 Newforge Lane, Belfast, BT9 5NW.
10. The competition closes on 31st January, 2012. Entries received after this date will not be considered.
11. The competition is open to Northern Ireland residents only.
12. Power NI cannot accept any responsibility for any problem with the postal service which may result in an entry being lost or delayed.
13. A panel of judges will select the winning entries. When making their final decision the judges will take into account creativity, artistic merit as well as the pictures relevance to the theme. The judge’s decision is final.
14. Unsuccessful entrants will not be contacted and no feedback on an entry will be provided.
15. The competition winners will be notified by telephone within a month of the closing date.
16. Prizes are non-transferable and will only be awarded to the prize winner. No cash equivalent is available as an alternative to the prizes offered.
17. The winners name and picture may be used by Power NI in promotional material.
18. Power NI reserves the right to amend rules prior to the closing date, after posting notice on the website.
19. For further questions please contact energysavingchallenge@powerni.co.uk.

Power NI’s BIG Picture Competition

11th October, 2011 13:48

Neil Coleman and Kirsty Pollock from Power NI at the launch of the BIG Picture Competition.

To help young people get ‘switched on’ to the benefits of energy saving, Power NI, the new name for NIE Energy, have launched the ‘BIG Picture’ Competition and is calling on young people to express their creative side with some great prizes on offer.

The competition is part of the BIG Energy Saving Challenge initiative, in which six finalists from across Northern Ireland, competing to win a share of the £100,000 energy saving prize fund.

Power NI are looking for entrants to take part in the ‘BIG Picture’ Competition to paint, draw, colour-in or even photograph their interpretation of energy saving in their area. This could be anything from wind turbines to solar panels; the Power NI judging panel are looking for the most original ideas!

Neil Coleman from Power NI said; “We are delighted to be launching this competition to help get kids to think about energy saving in their community. It is very important we try to educate the next generation of families and communities in Northern Ireland about the benefits of saving energy.”

The competition is divided into two age sections for primary and secondary school pupils, and is open to all individuals within the local area. The winners from the Primary School section can win a new Nintendo 3DS while the Secondary School section will be competing for a new iPod.

Competition Overview

Terms and Conditions

1. The competition is open to all children of primary and secondary school age.
2. The picture/photograph must show the entrants interpretation of how to save energy in the home or community.
3. Entrants may only submit one picture/photograph each.
4. Pictures may be drawn in pencil, felt tip, crayon or painted.
5. Photographs entered must be taken in the UK.
6. Each entry should be submitted of a sheet of plain A3 or A4 paper, either portrait or landscape.
7. Images may be digitally enhance to remove spots or scratches but not manipulated. Entrants may enhance the picture to make it brighter, clearer etc but not manipulate the content. Power NI reserve the right to exclude any image they believe may have been excessively treated so as to alter its authenticity.
8. Entrants must attach their name, address, contact phone number, date of birth, school and class to their picture. Power NI will only ever use these personal details for the purposes of administering this scheme.
9. Entries should be sent to: Kirsty Pollock, Power NI, Woodchester House, 50 Newforge Lane, Belfast, BT9 5NW.
10. The competition closes on 31st January, 2012. Entries received after this date will not be considered.
11. The competition is open to Northern Ireland residents only.
12. Power NI cannot accept any responsibility for any problem with the postal service which may result in an entry being lost or delayed.
13. A panel of judges will select the winning entries. When making their final decision the judges will take into account creativity, artistic merit as well as the pictures relevance to the theme. The judge’s decision is final.
14. Unsuccessful entrants will not be contacted and no feedback on an entry will be provided.
15. The competition winners will be notified by telephone within a month of the closing date.
16. Prizes are non-transferable and will only be awarded to the prize winner. No cash equivalent is available as an alternative to the prizes offered.
17. The winners name and picture may be used by Power NI in promotional material.
18. Power NI reserves the right to amend rules prior to the closing date, after posting notice on the website.
19. For further questions please contact energysavingchallenge@powerni.co.uk.

BIG Energy Saving Challenge online newsletter launched!

15th September, 2011 8:50

Power NI are pleased to announce the launch of the BIG Energy Saving Challenge newsletter which will go live on Monday 3rd October.

The free e-newsletter will be sent directly to your e-mail address every month and contain the latest news and events from the six community groups from across Northern Ireland competing to win the £20,000 prize of energy saving equipment.

To sign up to the newsletter simply just enter your e-mail address into the sign up box on the right hand menu of the site and we will keep you updated with all the latest news from the challenge.

Help your favourite community group promote their campaign by encouraging your friends and family to get signed up to our BIG Energy Saving Challenge newsletter.

Transition Omagh ‘Switch On’ Energy Challenge

13th September, 2011 15:21

Power NI's Wilma Stewart with members of Transition Omagh.

Transition Omagh kicked of their campaign with an energy efficiency day held at Glenhordial Agriculture Farm last week. Members of the community group were invited to collect their energy starter packs and then given the opportunity to meet with representatives from Power NI to discuss grants, offers and simple energy saving methods.

Group mentor, Les O’Donnell, opened the event by explaining its purpose. “The event aims to achieve three objectives; firstly, to ensure that everyone receives their energy starter pack which includes an energy monitor that will tell you to the last penny what you’re spending; secondly, to identify members of the group who are eligible for grants from Power NI; and thirdly, to find out who would like to sign up for thermal imaging of their home.”

Representatives from Power NI also held an ‘Energy Surgery’ on the day where members of the group could drop in to discuss offers and grants that are available from Power NI for home insulation. They also provided advice on the various payments schemes (including Keypad meters and Direct Debit) that are available to their customers and the discounts that these schemes will offer.

Following the event, it is up to the Transition Omagh group to decide on how they will spend their initial £7,500 funding from Power NI. The group is currently considering having thermal imaging carried out on their own homes which uses heat sensitive cameras to highlight any weak points in their house letting out heat and help them prepare accordingly for the winter ahead.

Group member Mariella Fyffe believes that the event was a great success. ”At the end of the day we all understood exactly what we have to do as a group and we now know what options are available to us. There are many opportunities for different people’s needs and we will now decide exactly how the money should be spent energy–proofing our homes.”

Local group tackles Power NI’s BIG Energy Saving Challenge

12th September, 2011 7:54

Article from reproduced courtesy of the Ulster Herald. By Michael Devlin (m.devlin@ulsterherald.com)

TransitionTown Omagh is a group on a mission. The local environmental charity which earlier in the summer was short-listed in Power NI’s Big Energy Saving Challenge and which scooped £7,500 in the process, is one of just six community organisations from across the North which is still in the running to collect £20,000 – if it plays its energy saving cards correctly.

Set to launch its competition bid on Friday September 9 at Glenhordial Permaculture Farm from 10.30am until 3.30pm, where Transition members will come together to discuss the best way forward, the local charity grouping are already well into the planning stage.

One of the men behind the venture, Les O’Donnell, a structural engineer and architectural consultant by trade, says the group is looking forward to the challenge.

“To my mind we’re investigating ways of efficiently saving energy, though transport isn’t part of the picture,” Les explained.

“We couldn’t do this on units of energy saved, because our group has been thinking that way for years so we’re already working at that level.

“There are no targets and that’s a good thing too. They way we see it, this is all about being innovative in how we go about being energy efficient.”

As a starting point for Transition Omagh the 30 families taking part first had their electricity meters read and then will using an energy monitor provided by Power NI to help them monitor their electricity consumption. This is a wireless monitor which displays a read out of all the electricity which is being consumed by a home at any given time.

“The way I look at it, is that this kind of thing is great for children because they can take an interest,” Les added.

“Our youngest fella is just eight but he can now tell me what appliances are active around the house just by looking at the read-out.

“Saving energy and Power NI’s Big Energy Challenge is all about the common sense approach and apart from being beneficial for the environment, is also saves you money.”

Winning the eventual prize of £20K won’t merely be a walk in the park for the local group, as they will have stiff competition from a North-wide set of associations. Transition Town Whitehead and Drumarg Community Association in Armagh are just two of the others vying for the overall title and the big money prize.

One of Power NI’s Big Energy Saving Challenge mentors Wilma Stewart commented, “This competition is the first of its kind in Northern Ireland and we are very excited. We recently delivered the starter pack to Transition Omagh full of energy saving devices and information as well as £7,500 of funding for their homes.

“For the next 12 months, we will assist and mentor the group through their energy saving journey. At the end of the year long challenge, they will each receive another £7,500 for communities, with the most successful energy saving group winning a fantastic total of £20,000.”

As with Transition Whitehead at least, many of those in the local Transition group are already singing from the same environmentalist hymn-sheet, so investigating further energy saving methods should come natural. However win, lose or draw in the competition, Les and Transition Omagh know the contest could augur benefits for the wider Irish community.

“Most of our members already have the energy saving mindset, so to a certain extend, we’re not going to tell each other how to suck eggs,” Les continued.

“This competition for us will be about sitting down, comparing thoughts and sharing ideas and one of the big benefits will be our eventual ability in being able to show other communities how we went about it. All the findings will be transparent, which will be vital.”

Now set to begin the delegation of responsibilities, such as events organisers, website input, data collection, children co-ordinator, energy assessor and press officer, Transition Omagh’s Big Energy Saving team of approximately 100 people is also planning a competition within the competition, where families and top energy saving households will be rewarded for their performances.

“Generally, anyone who is taking part must reduce their energy usage but we’re also going to be looking at optimising insulation and reducing air leakage from home – all this before you would even consider renewables like solar panels,” Les added.

“Another thing we really want to do is bring young people into the competition, because no-one is going to succeed without families doing most of the work.

“At the end of the day, this is all about having people come together and participate and hopefully that is going to happen.”

For further information about Power NI’s Big Energy Saving Challenge or to follow the local group’s progress, log onto www.powerni.co.uk.

Transition Omagh to host Energy Efficiency Event

30th August, 2011 15:14

Transition Omagh, one of the six finalists in Power NI’s BIG Energy Saving Challenge, are kicking off the year long competition with an Energy Efficiency Event on the 9th September. The event will take place at Glenhordial Permaculture Farm near Omagh where representatives from Power NI will provide information how to save money and energy in your home.

Information provided on the day will take the form of an “Energy Surgery” where members of the group can receive advice from Power NI about the grants that are available, as well as the various payment options on offer. The Transition Omagh group will provide information on ‘Thermal Imaging’.

Transition Omagh hope that this event will help people in their community by providing practical advice and information on becoming more energy efficient.

Light refreshments will be served and the event will run from 10.30am – 3.30pm

Transition Omagh shortlisted in Power NI’s BIG Energy Saving Challenge

15th June, 2011 8:46

Neil Coleman and Wilma Stewart from Power NI, handing over the Big Energy Saving Challenge starter pack to Leslie O’Donnell from Transition Omagh.

Transition Omagh is one of just six community organisations from across Northern Ireland who have been selected to compete in The BIG Energy Saving Challenge, an exciting new initiative from Power NI which is giving £100,000 to communities to encourage energy saving.

The Challenge team toured the country earlier this year in search of community groups who are switched onto energy saving and Power NI is delighted to announce that Transition Omagh is one of the six successful participants.

Transition Omagh is a group of residents who are dedicated in increasing the resilience of local amenities in the current downturn in the economic climate. They are committed to using themselves as an example to other communities on being energy efficient and saving energy and money and tackling climate change issues. They wish to greatly enhance the lives of their group as well as their health and create a community self-help initiative.

The group has committed to working with Power NI over the next year to introduce energy saving measures into their wider communities, educate residents and save them money.

Project Coordinator Neil Coleman said, “This competition is the first of its kind in Northern Ireland and we are very excited. We recently delivered the starter pack to Transition Omagh full of energy saving devices and information as well as £7,500 of funding for their homes. For the next 12 months, we will assist and mentor the group through their energy saving journey. At the end of the year long challenge, they will each receive another £7,500 for communities, with the most successful energy saving group winning a fantastic total of £20,000!”

You can follow Transition Omagh’s progress in the BIG Energy Saving Challenge on www.powerni.co.uk.

Transition Omagh: Background

15th June, 2011 8:30

One of two Transition Town groups, Omagh are flying the flag for Tyrone in Power NI’s BIG Energy Saving Challenge

Members of the group have previously been involved in the Transition Together project which helped educate them in the benefits of energy saving for the benefit of themselves as well as their community; Transition Omagh will be using the opportunity to use the lessons learned to boost their BIG Energy Saving Challenge campaign.

The Challenge will allow the Omagh group to focus on strategic energy saving within their households as the group members will use their starter-packs along with a number of behavioural changes to form individual energy saving plans which will involve assessing each household on an individual basis.

They will be spending their funding helping their members install renewable energy sources and provide the required energy saving equipment to help members and households continue their energy saving beyond the duration of the BIG Energy Saving Challenge.

Good luck to Transition Omagh and keep following their updates throughout the coming year through their online blog and also in the local press.

Power NI kicks off The BIG Energy Saving Challenge £100,000 Giveaway

14th June, 2011 15:18

Neil Coleman and Jemma Geary from Power NI are set for Power NI’s BIG Energy Saving Challenge, which will give six community groups from Northern Ireland in total over £100,000 worth of energy saving measures.

Six community groups from across Northern Ireland have cause for celebration after being selected to compete in The BIG Energy Saving Challenge, an exciting new initiative from Power NI which is giving £100,000 to communities to encourage energy saving.

The Challenge team toured the country this year in search of community groups who are switched onto energy saving and Power NI are delighted to announce the six successful participants. 

The six finalists include Annaclone Community Engagement Group, NI Chest Heart and Stroke Group from Banbridge and Craigavon, Drumarg Community Association in Armagh, Mullaghadun Community Association in Belcoo; and Transition Towns Omagh and Whitehead.  All have committed to working with Power NI over the next year to introduce energy saving measures into their premises and wider communities, educate residents and save them money.

Project Coordinator Neil Coleman said, “This competition is the first of its kind in Northern Ireland and we are very excited.  Each group will receive a starter pack of energy saving measures and £7,500 of funding for their homes. For the next 12 months, we will assist and mentor the six groups through their energy saving journey. At the end of the year long challenge, they will each receive another £7,500 for communities, with the most successful energy saving group winning a fantastic total of £20,000!” 

You can follow each of the group’s progress in the BIG Energy Saving Challenge at www.powerni.co.uk.