Winners of the Biggest Energy Saver contest:

Grand Prize winner: Mike Butler, of Houston, won a 2011 GM Volt electric vehicle
First Prize winner: Sally Andrews, of Houston, won a suite of GE Profile Appliances
Second Prize winner: Phillip Newsum, of Humble, won a GE Energy Star Front Load Home Laundry pair
Third Prize winners: Crystal Armstrong, Joy Demark, Angela Murphy, Brenda Cossey and Catherine McDonald, each won a Tendril In-Home Network suite.

With the help of data from his smart meter, Houston resident Mike Butler cut his electricity use by 36 percent this summer to become the Houston-area’s Biggest Energy Saver.

During the two-month Biggest Energy Saver consumer contest, registered participants competed by using smart meter data to reduce their electricity consumption and demonstrate how those reductions can be sustained over time.

“As Texas made history this summer with record-breaking heat, Mike and our other winners significantly reduced their energy consumption,” said Kenny Mercado, CenterPoint Energy senior vice president responsible for smart grid technology. “Their efforts demonstrate how using smart meters and performing simple energy-saving measures can make an impact.”

The Houston-area grand prize winner used an in-home energy monitor and the Smart Meter Texas portal to track his overall electric usage and manage the use of certain appliances.

“I found a few power hogs, such as leaving my laptop charging all the time,” said Butler. “I made some simple behavioral changes and checked my statistics weekly to verify the impact of my efforts. With the help and support of my wife, Stephanie, I feel we made a dramatic difference in our power consumption by making some very simple changes.”