November 3, 2017
Ky Power provides educators with energy education tools…
PIKEVILLE, Ky. – Kentucky Power is inspiring the next generation of customers to make smart energy choices to help support a sustainable future through the Energy Education for Students program.
The program aims to promote energy education and conservation to middle school students in Kentucky Power’s service area by supporting professional development for sixth, seventh and eighth grade teachers. Each fall, Kentucky Power hosts a teacher workshop to provide teacher training. This year, 17 middle school teachers from eight Kentucky school districts participated in the event in Pikeville.
“It is an excellent opportunity,” said James Horn, seventh grade science teacher at Martin County Middle School. “It allows teachers to obtain ready-to-use energy materials and resources that meet the NextGen science standards.”
Teachers receive curriculum that helps them educate their students on the science of energy, various sources of energy, their economic and environmental trade-offs, and how electricity is generated, consumed and conserved through energy efficiency programs. Kentucky Power partners with the National Energy Education Development (NEED) project to provide the curriculum, which is developed by a national Teacher Advisory Board. The NEED modules are inquiry-based, engaging and interactive, which helps students develop and access critical thinking skills while learning about energy conservation.
“The NEED materials are a great resource for students,” Horn said. “It allows them to see the need to be more energy efficient and conservative through the combination of renewable and non-renewable sources.”
The teachers also receive a science of energy kit for attending the workshop. The kit features six stations and allows the students to perform hands-on experiments. They can explore different forms of energy and how energy is transformed from one form to another.
“I have used the lesson plans provided by NEED and Kentucky Power for years,” Horn said. “It is a great opportunity for hands-on, minds-on activities to help educate my students on the complexities of energy.”
This year’s lesson plans focused on energy efficiency measures, such as insulation and weatherization of homes and schools, heating and cooling units, water heating, windows, lighting and appliances.
Kentucky Power also delivers energy efficiency kits containing two LED bulbs, a low-flow faucet aerator and a refrigerator thermometer to classrooms to help students apply at home with their parents the knowledge they learn in school.
“The items included with the kit are a very practical way to educate families on energy efficiency,” Horn said.
The kit includes an insert, which describes the benefits and installation steps for all the items and a fact sheet highlighting other Kentucky Power energy efficiency programs.
“This program helps us provide outreach and education to the students and their families,” said Scott Bishop, Kentucky Power energy efficiency coordinator. “We want customers to be aware and take advantage of the valuable energy efficiency programs we have available.”
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Kentucky Power, with headquarters in Ashland, provides service to about 168,000 customers in all or part of 20 eastern Kentucky counties, including Boyd, Breathitt, Carter, Clay, Elliott, Floyd, Greenup, Johnson, Knott, Lawrence, Leslie, Letcher, Lewis, Magoffin, Martin, Morgan, Owsley, Perry, Pike and Rowan. Kentucky Power is an operating company in the American Electric Power system, one of the largest electric utilities in the U.S., delivering electricity and custom energy solutions to nearly 5.4 million regulated customers in 11 states. AEP also owns the nation’s largest electricity transmission system. AEP’s headquarters are in Columbus, Ohio.
