Over 800 entries were received for Cayman’s first home energy efficiency competition, organised by the Ministry of Commerce, Planning and Infrastructure in partnership with the Caribbean Utilities Company, Limited (CUC).

The winners of the energy audits, worth up to $1,900 each, are Sheredan Coulburn, Twila Escalante, W. David and Jewel Smalldon, Winklet Ebanks, Elaine Whitefield Anderson, Dasmin Douglas, Isa Daniela Eden and Michael Rivers.  Each of the eight finalists were also gifted an EcoBee smart thermostat from CUC.

Following an RFP process, Caymanian-owned company, Greentech Solar, has been hired to perform the energy audits during the month of December. Greentech will analyse the eight homes and determine where and how energy is being lost, what systems are operating inefficiently and recommend improvements that can be made to substantially lower utility bills.

From the eight winners of the energy audits, one will be chosen to win the grand prize of a home energy makeover worth up to $20,000. The grand prize winner is set to be chosen in January 2021 with the full retrofit taking place subsequent to the selection.

Minister of Commerce, Planning and Infrastructure, Hon. Joseph Hew, said, “The Ministry is pleased  that so many Cayman residents entered the home energy efficiency competition and we want to congratulate each of our eight winners. One of our aims is to show the significant cost and energy savings that can be made by individuals taking simple steps and making small changes to their own individual spaces such as the home. For the Cayman Islands to achieve the targets set out in the National Energy Policy, we will require concerted efforts by everyone, all stakeholders that consume energy. I am certain that our winners of this competition will see benefits for years to come.”

Kristen Augustine, Energy Policy Coordinator in the Minister said the large number of applicants entering the inaugural competition is a clear indication that energy efficiency is high on the agenda for the Cayman community. She further stated, “It has been a very high-profile competition with a huge number of applicants, which we are immensely pleased about especially as it is the first time we are running such a competition.  The winning energy retrofit will be unique to the homes, but may include sealing and spray foam attic insulation, energy efficient appliances, LED bulbs and more. We look forward to announcing the final winner shortly.”

As an additional benefit to the eight winners of the home energy audits, Cayman National Bank will offer a special energy loan worth up to $20,000, for those persons who are not selected for the top prize of the full retrofit. Loan benefits will include interest free periods, waived set-up fees and low rates.

In commenting on the competition, Sacha Tibbetts, Vice President of Customer Service and Technology at CUC, said “CUC is committed to the promotion of energy efficiency in the Cayman Islands and we will continue to work closely with Energy Cayman to drive forward education and best practise amongst our community. This is the first of many projects that we hope to work on together, to make Cayman a better place for future generations”.

The Home Energy Efficiency competition was also supported by CEL Cooling, Mitsubishi, Cooling Pros, Foam Pros, Hurley’s Media, DART and Saxon.

The competition was a part of Energy Cayman, the Ministry of Commerce, Planning and Infrastructure’s 12-month public education campaign to embed knowledge of energy efficient practices into the Cayman community. This campaign was launched to help meet the goals of the National Energy Policy, which includes 70% of electricity generation from renewable sources by 2037.

For further information on the National Energy Policy, visit www.energy.gov.ky  or follow @EnergyCayman on social media.

For further information or media requests please contact Tamsin Deasey at Tower on [email protected] or by calling +1 (345) 329 6343.

For further information visit www.energy.gov.ky/competition.

The competition ran as part of Energy Cayman, the Ministry of Commerce Planning and Infrastructures 12-month campaign to embed energy efficiency into the Cayman community. The vision of the campaign is to promote energy efficiency and conservation methods to residents and businesses in the Cayman Islands, encouraging a sustainable lifestyle through responsible and innovative energy supply and consumption. This has been launched to meet the goals in the Government’s National Energy Policy which includes 70% of electricity generation from renewable sources by 2037.

The terms of Cayman National Bank energy loans are as follows:

1. For qualified borrowers, an unsecured loan of an amount up to CI$20,000. Interest free for 6 months, and thereafter at a rate of Prime plus 3%, amortized from the start, over a period up to 7 years. We would waive our standard set-up fee.
2. For existing customers of CNB with mortgages, a loan to cover the cost of energy saving/efficiency equipment of an amount for which the borrower qualifies under our usual terms, amortized over the remaining term of their mortgage at the prevailing rate.
3. For customers of other financial institutions who may wish to transfer their mortgage to CNB to take advantage of the opportunity in (2), we would waive up to $2,000 in switching costs, and would be willing to add any penalties the borrower may incur from switching, to the mortgage (if the borrower qualifies).