We've been incredibly inspired by the energy and passion of the Hohm community. And now we're giving you the chance to show off your commitment to reducing your energy bills and carbon emissions. With the new 'Welcome Hohm' Video Challenge, you can share your best green ideas — and win some great prizes along the way.
Here's how it works. Starting November 4, simply submit a photo or short video (no more than 2 minutes) of your home and how you have or would like to make it more energy efficient. Maybe you've installed an ENERGY STAR dishwasher; or weatherstripped your door and re-sealed any outside leaks; maybe you're looking to install solar panels on your roof — we want to hear about it. The contest runs until January 5, and each participant can enter one photo and one video.
We'll be tracking viewership throughout the contest period, and the top 10 videos and top 10 photos with the most views will be our 'Welcome Hohm' finalists. Our panel of judges will then review the finalists and select the best video and photo. The lucky winners will each receive a $2,500 gift certificate to a home improvement store (Home Depot, Lowe’s or Do It Best) to help turn their green vision into a reality. The runners-up in each category will receive an HP ProBook 4510s Notebook PC (ENERGY STAR rated, of course). Additionally, we'll be giving a copy of Windows 7 Home Premium to the first 100 qualified entrants. So get started!
Grand Prize Winners will be selected and notified around January 18th. We'll be distributing copies of Windows 7 Home Premium to the winning entrants on a rolling basis.
And if you're not the next Scorsese or Tarantino, don't worry. We're judging entries based on your concept, commitment, and creativity — not necessarily on your video editing skills or HD camera. So, if you've made some great energy efficiency improvements (or have some great energy-saving plans in mind), we want to see them, even if you shot the video from your cell phone.
Those are the basics. Simply upload a photo to http://microsofthohm.ning.com or upload a video to YouTube and reply to one of our sample videos:
Microsoft Hohm Mythbuster - In this video there's a small section where Nadia mentions that it coast about $3 per load of dishes but it's actually $.25/load. Your actual costs will depend on the type of energy your water heater uses, your areas energy costs and your actual dishwashers kwh usage to run a load of dishes.
You can review all the contest details, eligibility requirements, and other fine print here. Be creative, have fun, and let's all get a little greener one step at a time.