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| Case Stories: Education-Focused Programs Programs Created to Educate Consumers, Professionals, and Students About Energy Efficiency While most weatherization programs have traditionally focused only on installing energy-efficient devices, many utilities and organizations are now recognizing the importance of education in producing top energy-saving results. If energy advice accompanies installation of energy-saving technologies, the additional energy savings can be as high as twenty percent more. Some organizations and utilities have put this to the test. One test, conducted by the Alliance to Save Energy, and Niagara Mohawk Power Corporation (NMPC), showed that combining education with a weatherization program creates a greater increase in energy savings than running the same program without an educational component. NMPC added three education sessions and a low-cost financing plan to its weatherization assistance program. Customers who participated in the hardware-only weatherization program had an average energy reduction of sixteen percent, while those who took advantage of the educational component had an average energy reduction of twenty-six percent. Below is a sample list of today's leading U.S. programs created to educate consumers, professionals, and students about energy efficiency. This list was adapted from ACEEE's 2003 report entitled America's Best: Profiles of America's Leading Energy Efficiency Programs<. Consumer Education Programs Flex Your Power Campaign (www.flexyourpower.com) This education and media campaign sponsored by the California State and Consumer Services Agency and Department of Consumer Affairs helped create many energy efficiency programs during its two-year existence. It did so by educating Californians on energy, how to reduce energy consumption, financial incentives for energy conservation, the best energy practices, and more. Professional Education Programs Flexible Technical Assistance (FlexTech) Program (www.nyserda.org/programs/flextech.asp) Operated by the New York State Energy Research and Development Authority (NYSERDA), this program assists New York State facilities in making informed energy decisions and encourages them to increase their productivity and economic competitiveness through energy efficiency measures. This program assists with a number of other energy-related issues including process and productivity, waste minimization, energy operational procedures, energy planning, commissioning, performance contracting, project financing, energy plans, and more. The Daylighting Collaborative (www.daylighting.org) This collaborative is operated by the Energy Center of Wisconsin, various utilities, and environmental organizations and promotes the use of "cool daylighting" into mainstream design and construction. It does so by providing design assistance, technical training, demonstrational case studies, and a clearinghouse of daylighting information. Pacific Energy Center (www.pge.com/003_save_energy/003c_edu_train/pec/003c1_pac_energy.shtml) Operated by Pacific Gas and Electric Company, this center provides many technical education programs that provide architectural and engineering professionals with education, design tools, advice, and support on energy efficiency in buildings. Operation Insulation — Darmouth College (http://www.dartmouth.edu/%7Eassembly/reports/2001orgsguide11.html#operationinsulation) Dartmouth College undergraduates started "Operation Insulation," a group that weatherizes low-income homes in the Upper Connecticut River Valley. A local community services center helps the group find candidates for weatherization while area contractors and energy professionals train the students. Besides weatherization services, the group plans workshops on insulation, a weatherization sourcebook, and a tool library. K-12 Education Programs National Energy Foundation Programs (www.nef1.org/academy.html) The National Energy Foundation offers a number of programs for K-12 students that discuss topics such as energy and water conservation, energy fundamentals, renewable energy and the environment. Wisconsin's K-12 Energy Education Program (KEEP) (www.uwsp.edu/cnr/wcee/keep) Created by the Wisconsin Center for Environmental Education (WCEE), this program was designed to make energy an integral part of its K-12 educational curriculum. Power Smart Students Program — BC Hydro (www.bchydro.com/education/ps_students/ps_students_5094.html) This program is a two-year technical education program offered to British Columbia high school students in grades 10, 11, and 12. In the first year, students in this program learn about energy use and energy saving opportunities in school buildings. In the second year, the students learn how to administer energy campaigns in elementary schools. |