CEDAR RAPIDS, Iowa – May 29, 2012 – Interstate Power and Light Company, an Alliant Energy company, is helping sixth and eighth grade students become whizzes in saving energy. Thousands of Iowa students are learning the importance of being energy efficient with Alliant Energy’s LivingWise Program.
The LivingWise Program, sponsored by Alliant Energy, educates students and their parents on the importance of conserving energy. This is an efficiency education program designed to investigate and measure energy usage in homes, while building knowledge of current environmental issues.
“The Alliant Energy LivingWise Program is a fun hands-on program that educates students and their families on the importance and ease of energy conservation,” said Jeanine Penticoff, director of Energy Efficiency, Account Management and Economic Development at Alliant Energy. “Thousands of students have learned to save a lot of energy since the program started in 2004.”
Each year, LivingWise makes a significant impact. In 2011 alone, students saved more than 2.1 million kilowatt-hours (kWh) or electricity, and more than 108,000 therms of natural gas. That’s enough electricity to power 175 average homes for a whole year and enough natural gas for nearly 140 homes for a year.
Students and teachers discuss the significance of energy conservation through carefully designed lesson plans and in-classroom activities. At the end of the in-class portion of the program, each student receives an Alliant Energy LivingWise kit to take home. The kit contains three 13-watt compact fluorescent light bulbs (CFLs), a high-efficiency showerhead, a kitchen faucet aerator, a digital thermometer, a flow-rate test bag, and a natural resource fact chart. The students share their new knowledge and install the products with their families, reducing residential energy usage.
Students are eligible for LivingWise simply by attending a participating school in Alliant Energy’s Iowa service territory. Resource Action Programs® developed the program, which supports Iowa’s state academic standards for science, math and language arts.
Alliant Energy offers free educational tools for students of all ages. Check out alliantenergykids.com for information on how to get free materials to help teach students about energy efficiency and safety.
Media Contact: Justin Foss, (319) 786-4788