Who doesn’t like to save money, right? Normally at Shop Talk we are talking savings when it comes to shopping. Today I’m going to tell you about a program you can get involved in right here in our community.

It is called the Take Charge Challenge, a friendly competition to save energy, save money and take charge of our energy future. The statewide program started in January and will run through the end of September.

“One of the three categories where Lawrence is lagging a little behind is in the switching out of CFL light bulbs,” said Megan Gilliland, communications manager for the City of Lawrence. “In an effort to improve our overall numbers, our Take Charge Challenge coordinator worked with local businesses that were willing to offer specials to get more people to replace their incandescent light bulbs with energy-efficient CFLs.”

Cottin’s Hardware, 1832 Massachusetts St., will offer a 10-percent discount off of all CFLs purchased during the Take Charge Challenge (through the end of September). Customers will need to ask for the discount for the Take Charge Challenge.

Western Extralite, 3235 Ousdahl, is also offering a discount on four different types of Sylvania Premium lamps. This discount is effective through the end of the program. You may contact Western Extralite at 843-4174 for more information.

You may find this interesting. Megan tells me that for every five incandescent bulbs you replace with CFLs, you can save approximately $75 per year.

Once you have changed out your incandescent light bulbs, register your CFL switches at http://www.takechargekansas.org/Site_Data/Sub_Pages/Home.php.

CFL switches aren’t the only way to help Lawrence win the Take Charge Challenge. Community participation at Take Charge events, weatherization programs and energy efficiency programs, such as Efficiency Kansas, count toward the overall score for each community. The community that wins the Challenge will win a $100,000 energy efficiency or renewable energy community project.

Our rival is Manhattan, and we are losing, which is more incentive for us to get involved.

Lawrence residents can also receive an Efficiency Kansas energy audit for $100. This is a $500 savings! Go to http://www.efficiencykansas.com/audit_program.php to get the necessary information and a list of authorized auditors.

Another energy saving tip is to get a programmable thermostat. You can join Westar’s WattSaver program and receive a free programmable thermostat that Westar will install at no charge. The WattSaver program offers 24-hour customer service and the ability to program the thermostat from your computer when it is connected to the internet. This product/service package offered by Westar is valued at more than $300. Go to http://www.westarenergy.com/wcm.nsf/content/wattsaver for more information and to sign up for the program.

“As a community, what we’ve seen so far through this project is that our residents are sincerely interested in saving money and energy,” said Gilliland.

To find out more information about the Take Charge challenge and how to get involved, visit http://www.lawrenceks.org/takecharge for all the details.