Minnkota Power Cooperative’s PowerSavers program has distributed nearly 2,300 energy-savings kits to area schools. Each kit contains energy-efficient devices that, if installed properly, can help save about 1,700 kilowatthours or $200 each year.
Rarely can fifth- and sixth-graders at Goodridge Elementary School say they saved their family money by finishing a homework assignment.
But with the help of a grownup and the right supplies and instructions from their local electric co-op, students at the rural Minnesota school were finding energy and cash savings just in time for the holiday season.
Through the PowerSavers Conservation Improvement Program, Red Lake Electric Cooperative presented 25 students at the school with an energy-savings kit packed full of CFL bulbs, low-flow showerheads and high-efficiency faucet aerators. If all the energy-efficient devices were installed, the household could expect to save up to 1,700 kilowatt-hours (kWh) or $200 each year.
The hands-on lessons proved popular with students and their homes. Fifth-grade teacher Eric Mickelson said the kit and presentation will fit in well with his science classes.
“It’s a good topic to bring up because there are some who don’t know where our power comes from,” Mickelson said.
The utilities in the PowerSavers program contacted elementary school teachers and invited them to participate in the energy savings project. Nearly 2,300 kits were distributed to students in Minnesota school districts throughout Minnkota’s service area.
Upon completing all the tasks in the kit and filling out a brief work sheet, students received a free LED night light. The class from each school with the highest percentage of participation and most kWh savings by the end of 2012 will receive a pizza party or money donated to a field trip. Even without the grand prize, the kits and presentation have the full endorsement of the Goodridge students, who enthusiastically inspected the hot water gauge, shower flow meter and other energy-saving devices. “The items in the kit were easy for the kids to install with their parents,” Mickelson said. “I thought it went over well.”
You can turn to page six of the November/December 2012 issue of the Minnkota Messenger to read the full story!
