Students at OH Schultz Elementary School (School District of Mishicot) and Oconomowoc High School (Oconomowoc Area School District) recently took home the cash prize for successfully completing energy-saving improvements around their school.
This fall, FOCUS ON ENERGY and Wisconsin K-12 Energy Education Program sponsored a Renew Our Schools energy challenge. Seventeen Wisconsin schools competed in the five-week program offered by Resource Central, which encourages students to learn key energy concepts and make behavioral changes to reduce energy consumption.
To win the challenge, each school needed to reduce energy usage by at least 6 percent. OH Schultz Elementary School and Oconomowoc High School did just that, earning $2,500 for future energy-efficiency projects. Both schools also won an additional $200 for completing two mini-challenges where they investigated their home energy use and dedicated one entire school day toward saving energy by three percent.
OH Schultz Elementary School won the Wisconsin Cohort 1, consisting of nine elementary schools. Oconomowoc High School won the Wisconsin Cohort 2, comprised of eight middle/high schools. Both schools earned the most action points and reduced energy by the highest percentage in their respective cohorts.
OH Schultz Elementary School – 16.94% Energy Reduction
Since passing a referendum in 2017, Mishicot School District has implemented numerous energy-saving upgrades around their buildings, such as installing LED lighting and sensors. After performing a school-wide energy audit, OH Shultz Elementary School’s fourth graders and their teacher, Ryan Kamien, determined the biggest way they could save energy would be by using less electricity.
The classrooms were found to be overlit, so students performed two campaigns focused on behavioral actions. In the first activity, students monitored classrooms and assigned rooms with yellow light bulbs if one to two lights were turned off during class. These actions quickly added up, and classrooms received an opportunity to sign their name on a large poster display in the main hallway after they earned so many bulbs. The other campaign used lightning bolts to illustrate when lights were turned off in empty classrooms. The compounding effect allowed rooms to gain multiple bolts demonstrating their energy conservation efforts for the whole school to see.
Oconomowoc High School – 8.25% Energy Reduction
Oconomowoc High School is a returning champion, having won the competition in the Spring of 2022. The school found great success by turning its air handling system to an occupancy-only setting, so it would only run when the building was occupied. However, as colder weather started approaching, there was a concern about the impact on the school’s energy use during the fall competition.
Having a proactive AP Environmental Science class, students worked closely with facility staff to explore ways to shift and tighten up the heating and cooling schedules. Students were also able to tour the school’s boiler room. This opportunity gave them a comprehensive understanding of all the equipment operating unnoticed throughout their school day. During the challenge, students visited the City of Oconomowoc Utilities. They were given a first-hand view into how energy is monitored and gained a deeper understanding of how their home and school are powered.
Students attending this tour shared this knowledge and background by developing a lesson and
presenting it to younger grades in the district.
The Renew Our Schools energy challenge shows that small changes can contribute to huge savings for schools, the local community, and the greater world. In addition to the financial savings, participating schools saved a total of 30,383-kilowatt hours on their utility bills. This is the equivalent of saving 2,423 gallons of gasoline.
Wisconsin schools are gearing up for the Spring 2023 challenge. Learn more about the challenge and future competition dates: focusonenergy.com/RenewOurSchools
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