Wisconsin Students Compete for Cash; Schools Become Energy Efficient

Madison, Wi – Focus on Energy and the Wisconsin K-12 Energy Education Program (KEEP) are helping students get excited about responsible energy use. Renew Our Schools is a fun, energy-conservation competition giving students the opportunity to learn key energy concepts while making behavioral changes reducing energy consumption. Students and staff will use an energy monitoring system (eGauge) to track electricity use and discover the impact of no-cost actions to conserve energy. Top earning schools are eligible to receive a cash prize.

Focus on Energy and KEEP will support schools during the competition by:

• Providing on-site guidance to help students learn how to perform an energy audit.

• Offering a toolkit including hands-on devices, lesson plans, and suggested school energy actions.

• Contributing helpful resources and recommendations along the way.

"More Wisconsin schools are starting to bring STEM-based curricula into the classroom," said Heather Feigum, Program Manager with Focus on Energy. "Encouraging students of all ages to investigate how electricity is used at home or in the classroom will go a long way in creating future generations that use energy more sustainably."

The 13 school districts participating are Cedarburg, Marathon, Menomonie Area, Mishicot, Mondovi, Northland Pines, Oconomowoc, Parkview, Rice Lake, Rosholt, Sheboygan, Sun Prairie, and Waupun.

The competition runs October 3 to November 11, 2022. Follow along with each school's success on the Focus on Energy and KEEP Facebook pages:

• www.facebook.com/focusonenergy

• www.facebook.com/wiskeep

Schools interested in increasing teamwork and sustainability in their district should consider enrolling in the Spring 2023 competition January 30 to March 6, 2023. Focus on Energy and KEEP will be sponsoring 15 schools, saving them up to $1,200 in participation costs. Applications are accepted until October 31, 2022. Visit focusonenergy.com/programs/k-12-schools to learn more and fill out an interest form.

About KEEP

The Wisconsin K-12 Energy Education Program (KEEP) promotes energy education in Wisconsin schools. With support from Alliant Energy, Madison Gas & Electric, We Energies, Wisconsin Public Service, WPPI Energy, and Xcel Energy, KEEP leverages teacher education to improve and increase energy literacy in Wisconsin's K-12 schools as a means of contributing to statewide energy savings.