STEM Program Helps Students Across Ohio Learn About Energy Efficiency

Nearly 11,500 students across Ohio are learning about energy efficiency this school year through a STEM program funded by AEP Ohio.

The e3 Smart program provides curriculum, lab supplies and take-home energy-efficiency kits to students in grades four through 12. This school year, 187 teachers in districts across the communities served by AEP Ohio have enrolled, including schools from Lima, Columbus, Marietta and many others.

AEP Ohio partners with the nonprofit Ohio Energy Project, which develops and delivers the materials to classrooms across the state. Students also study conservation practices and energy science through the program.

“The students learn these concepts in school, and then they receive a kit to take home — an energy-efficient light bulb, weather stripping, low-flow showerheads and other energy-efficient things,” said Deanna Gilliland, AEP Ohio energy efficiency and consumer programs manager. “They become energy-efficiency advocates, and they get to learn through hands-on STEM activities.”

Ohio Energy Project created the program based on science and designed with Ohio learning standards in mind. It covers all things energy — where it comes from, how people use it in their daily lives and how an individual or family’s behavior can help save money and the planet.

Students and their parents complete surveys to show how their families implemented energy efficiency practices; teachers whose students complete those surveys are eligible for a $200 stipend to help them purchase additional education materials for their classrooms.

“The only reason we are able to support this number of teachers and students is because AEP Ohio funds the entirety of the program — teacher materials and curriculum, student guidebooks, student kits, stipends and more,” said Kelsey Beach, Ohio Energy Project education coordinator.

The program also helps build student interest in electricity, conservation and safety. Many teachers whose classrooms participate have also invited AEP Ohio employees to come teach students about electrical safety.

Gilliland said AEP Ohio hopes to enroll even more students and classrooms in future school years — especially targeting communities with high poverty rates or where families might spend more than 6% of their income on utility bills.