RENEW received the email below from Tyrel Zich, an intern in the SOS office on campus and an intern in the Economic Development and Community Service area of Xcel Energy:
After receiving an email about the RENEW Energy Policy Summit, I explored the RENEW webpage further and discovered your great news, blogs, and quarterly journal pages.
I wanted to inform you about a great program that Xcel Energy is doing in collaboration with students at UW-Eau Claire called $CORE – Student and Community outreach on Rental Efficiency. In a nutshell this program has students educating students in their rental properties about sustainability, energy conservation, and renewable energy while providing them with a free home audit and free conservation materials (CFLs, weather-stripping, window film, low-flow sink and shower heads).
Because students live in these rentals short-term they have no real interest in renewable energy; however, the educators will introduce and help students sign up for Xcel Energy’s Wind Source program which has all or part of their electricity being provided by renewable sources for a slightly higher cost. These programs are excellent and I want to make sure the entire State is informed about the great initiatives going on here in Eau Claire so we can implement them around the state.
More information:
http://www.uwec.edu/newsreleases/11/sept/0929SCORE.htm
http://www.wqow.com/story/15789771/uw-eau-claire-finds-student-renters-a-way-to-cut-costs?