Energy Efficiency Education program exceeds expectations
Mississippi Power’s Energy Efficiency Education program just completed its second year and is making an impact on fourth- and fifth-grade students.
Tamara Proctor, the company’s representative for the program, visited 42 schools during the 2015-16 school year.
“This was a great year for Energy Efficiency Education,” said Proctor. “My goal was to visit 40 schools, give away 5,000 energy efficiency kits and award $10,000 in mini-grants. That goal was exceeded by visiting 42 schools and giving away 5,072 energy efficiency kits.”
During school visits, each student is given a kit to take home that includes several CFL bulbs, an LED nightlight, a shower timer, a thermostat temperature gauge and a questionnaire on their family’s energy habits.
“If 75 percent of the students return the questionnaire, they are eligible for a $250 grant per grade from the company,” she said. “We also exceeded the third component of the goal by distributing $10,500 in mini-grants to 28 schools.”
Proctor’s presentation includes a 30-minute overview of the services Mississippi Power provides, the types of devices that use electricity in the home, and ways for students and their families to become more energy efficient.
‘The program is designed for fourth- and fifth-graders because they are old enough to understand how energy works and how they affect energy usage in their homes,” explained Proctor. “Yet, they are young enough to change any bad habits they have already developed and develop good habits for saving energy. They are also wonderful communicators of the information from the program and make sure their families understand the importance of energy conservation and that everyone is doing their part to save energy and save the family money.”
Invitations are sent out twice a year to elementary and middle schools in the company’s service territory and schools are scheduled on a first come, first served basis.
Mississippi Power, a subsidiary of Southern Company (NYSE: SO), produces safe, reliable and environmentally responsible energy for more than 186,000 customers in 23 southeast Mississippi counties. Mississippi Power earned the 2015 ReliabilityOneTM Award for outstanding midsize utility for excellence in storm restoration and recovery efforts as well as being a leader in reliability, customer service and safety. Visit our websites at www.mississippipower.com and www.mississippipowernews.com, like us on Facebook, and follow us on Twitter, LinkedIn, Google+ and YouTube.