Saving energy pays – to the tune of $7,500 at Lowe’s.

That’s the prize Puget Sound Energy awarded to the Hall family, winner of its Be An Energy Rock Star Contest.

All told PSE gave away $45,000 in rewards through the competition, which challenged its customers to reduce their power consumption.

The Hall family of Bellevue reduced its power consumption by 94 percent during the month of October, placing first among 7,600 residents who took part in the contest.

Among the ways the Halls plan to use their Lowe’s gift card is by purchasing an energy-efficient refrigerator, insulating the crawl space of their home, and replacing the antiquated pink porcelain in their children’s bathroom.

The Energy Rock Star contest capped off PSE’s Rock the Bulb campaign, which was aimed at promoting energy efficiency by distributing free compact fluorescent lamp (CFL) bulbs to customers throughout Western Washington.

The Halls smashed their competition, besting the second-place finisher by eight percent. They turned somewhat primitive to make it happen.

Winning meant keeping the lights off as the dark days of fall crept in, unplugging all but the most essential appliances, and using an outside grill to cook meals and brew coffee.

“We had to decide what we could and couldn’t keep before going insane,” said mother Megan Hall.

One of the first things to go was habitual fridge gazing.

“It had to be like a quick ninja move just to open the door,” said 14-year-old Matthew Hall.

The Halls also navigated their house at night using solar-charged garden lights as torches, and they became regulars at the library, visiting virtually every day for homework and internet surfing.

They haven’t been quite as efficient since the competition ended, but the household still uses 30 percent less energy than last year.

Today, the Halls use CFL bulbs, as well as power strips that can be switched off to avoid phantom loads – electricity that leaks through unused appliances.

“A lot of what these families do, people realize they can make it a part of their lifestyle,” said PSE spokesman Andy Wappler.

Preaching energy efficiency sounds counterintuitive for a business that relies on energy use to make a profit, but PSE is taking a big-picture approach.

Wappler said the company hopes to save money on infrastructure investments that are required when demand increases.

“If we can help customers use energy wisely, we do better,” he said.

PSE has had little reason for hope in the past two years, as usage rates hit new winter and summer peaks. The company is fighting that trend with efforts like the Energy Rock Star competition.