NorthWestern Energy Customer Wins Ultimate Tailgate from Energy Forward 'Are You Fan Enough' Energy-Efficient Televisions Campaign

PORTLAND, Ore., Oct. 26, 2012 /PRNewswire/ -- Today Energy Forward announced the Montana winners of its "Are You Fan Enough" campaign. The regional campaign, launched October 1st, encourages Northwest residents to look for the "Most Efficient" sticker when shopping for new TVs.  By entering "Are You Fan Enough" on Facebook or at Best Buy and Sears retail locations, Montana residents had the chance to win the ultimate VIP college football tailgate package, 10 tickets to a college football game or an Energy Forward 'Most Efficient' TV. The ultimate tailgate party on October 27^th at Missoula will feature a wall of Energy Forward TVs and an Energy Forward RV catered with food, refreshments and Snuggies®.

Missoula won the Montana match-up over Bozeman, 51% to 49%. Individual winners drawn from the Montana matchup were:

• Robin Olson from Missoula, Montana won the grand prize VIP Ultimate tailgate package, which includes 10 tickets to this weekend's Missoula game against Pocatello. Robin is a customer of NorthWestern Energy.
• Kermit Snow from Harlem, Montana won 10 tickets to this weekend's Bozeman game against North Dakota. Kermit is a customer of NorthWestern Energy.
• Boyd Coster from Manhattan, Montana won a 52-inch Energy Forward Television. Boyd is a customer of NorthWestern Energy.

"I'm pleased to congratulate our Montana winners – the enthusiasm from our customers during the contest demonstrated their passion for football and an increased knowledge of energy-efficient TVs," said Bill Thomas, Regulatory Support Services Manager for NorthWestern Energy. "Fans learned more about the potential savings 'Most Efficient' TVs offer. According to the Northwest Power and Conservation Council, a region-wide shift to the most efficient TVs has the potential to save enough energy to power more than 290,000 homes each year."

Entrants voted via Facebook or from QR codes on materials in Best Buy and Sears stores to win a tailgate party at one of two universities located within Montana. An entrant who voted for the team that received the most votes was randomly selected to win a grand prize VIP tailgate package. The winner of the Energy Forward 52-inch TV was randomly selected from all entrants regardless of university vote.

"The 'Are You Fan Enough' campaign is a fun way to help consumers learn about TVs that are engineered to provide the best performance while also saving energy—a winning combination for any sports fan," said Ty Stober, market transformation initiative lead at the Northwest Energy Efficiency Alliance.

TVs marked with a "Most Efficient" sticker are at least 20 to 35 percent more efficient than other energy-efficient products, and are available at Best Buy, Costco, Kmart, Sam's Club, Sears, Target, Walmart and independent electronics stores throughout the Northwest. Energy Forward is an initiative of the Northwest Energy Efficiency Alliance (NEEA) in collaboration with Northwest utilities, ENERGY STAR and retail partners.

Voting for Oregon and Washington teams continues through November 5.^. Fans of high-performing televisions and college football can visit bit.ly/areufanenough to enter.

"Are You Fan Enough" scheduled sweepstakes remaining voting periods:

• The Washington Matchup: Seattle vs. Pullman launched at 12:01 AM PDT on October 15, 2012 and ends at 11:59 PM PDT on October 29, 2012.
• The Oregon Matchup: Eugene vs. Corvallis launched at 12:01 AM PDT on October 22, 2012 and ends at 11:59 PM PST on November 5, 2012.

"Are You Fan Enough" winner selection dates:

• Idaho Matchup winner was drawn - October 24, 2012
• Washington Matchup winner is drawn - October 31,2012
• Oregon Matchup winner is drawn - November 7, 2012

 "Are You Fan Enough" grand prize games and ultimate tailgate parties:

• Montana game is October 27, 2012
• Idaho game is November 3, 2012
• Washington game is November 10, 2012
• Oregon game is November 17, 2012

For more information on Energy Forward go to http://energyefficientelectronics.org/

About the Northwest Energy Efficiency Alliance

The Northwest Energy Efficiency Alliance (NEEA) is a non-profit organization working to accelerate energy efficiency to meet our future energy needs. NEEA is supported by and works in collaboration with the Bonneville Power Administration, Energy Trust of Oregon and more than 100 Northwest utilities on behalf of more than 12 million energy consumers. NEEA uses the market power of the region to accelerate the innovation and adoption of energy-efficient products, services and practices. Since 1997, NEEA and its partners have saved enough energy to power almost 600,000 homes each year. Energy efficiency can satisfy more than half of our new demand for energy, saving money and keeping the Northwest a healthy and vibrant place to live. www.neea.org

SOURCE Northwest Energy Efficiency Alliance