At the end of last week, Georgetown University announced that it would be running a competition in the United States dedicated to improving the energy efficiency of cities. The idea for this challenge — dubbed "Energy Prize" — first came about at a workshop held at the school in 2012, where government leaders expressed concern over the political realities of starting green energy programs.

Professor Francis Slakey, the executive director of the Energy Prize, said that the ultimate purpose of the challenge is not the money – the winning city will receive $5 million to go towards funding its projects – but to get local communities invested in the future of the environment. He told reporters that the threat of global climate change is too great to be ignored any longer.

The competition is open to all cities in the United States that have populations between 5,000 and 250,000 people. The purpose of setting these limitations, according to Slakey, was to bring green energy to places that might not have established energy-efficient infrastructures like their larger counterparts. Those running the program did not want to give the advantage to those places with major populations.

As of last week, 51 cities have signed up to take part in Georgetown's competition. The original goal was to get 50 cities involved, though now Professor Slakey believes it could expand to over 100 before the sign-up period is over. Although most leaders will be motivated by the money, the resulting positive influence on the environment will be beneficial to the entire country.

If you live in the Washington, D.C., area and are interested in reducing the power consumption of your own house, schedule an energy audit with Alban Inspections today.