Utah family's energy savings video 'can't be beat — doo, doo, doo'

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Like many Utahns, Kasey and Camille LaRose are energy conscious and frequently looking for ways to use less power so they can save money on their monthly utility bills.

Having moved a little over a year ago into a South Ogden house built in 1979, the couple have a long wish list of improvements they would like to undertake to make their home more energy efficient, including replacing their 27 windows with new ones that will do a better job of keeping out the winter cold.

"In the winter you can really tell that the windows are old," Kasey LaRose said. "They let a lot of cold air into the house."

The LaRoses are about to get a little help with their plans.

They are the winners of the Act Watt Smart video contest from Rocky Mountain Power and will be taking home the grand price of $10,000 in store credit at Lowe's. Their video is called "Wattsmart the Musical."

"I can't remember how I heard about the contest," he said. "It was either on Facebook or the radio. I woke up one morning and had the idea for our video. I wrote the script in about 15 minutes."

In the video, Camille LaRose strums a ukulele and, accompanied by their two young sons, sings about the benefits of energy efficiency. "With Rocky Mountain Wattsmart we know we can't be beat — doo, doo, doo."

They plan to use their winnings for new windows in their home, he said.

Jeff Hymas, a spokesman for Rocky Mountain Power, said there were 67 videos entered in the contest. During the contest's first year in 2011 there were just over 30 entries. "All of our contest winners submitted very creative videos and showed ways to use less electricity at home. The LaRose family did a good job of using music. They made their video fun and informative and included their whole family in the process."

He added: "There were so many quality entries I'm sure that it was a challenge for our judges, who included Rocky Mountain Power employees and others recruited by the company, to choose the winner."

There were two runners-up.

Chris Lee of Salt Lake City will receive $2,500 in energy efficiency merchandise from Lowe's for the video "Pushing Buttons" as will Sharon Stone of Sandy for her video, "The Inspector: You've got to teach them while they are young."

And, Celeste Erickson of Pleasant Grove submitted the People's Choice Award and will receive $2,000 in energy efficiency merchandise from Lowe's. Her video is titled "I am wattsmart!"

The winning videos, along with all others entered in the contest, can be viewed at http://www.wattsmart.com.