To culminate their fall expedition, Finding Energy All Around Us, Purple House students directed, produced, and starred in original public service announcements (PSA) to promote conserving electricity. Through the use of SmartMeters students used the newest educational tool from Gulf of Maine Research Institute (GMRI) to conduct their own home electricity investigations and find ways to reduce their electricity use by 5%. A five percent reduction on your home electricity bill may not seem like a lot, but if all Maine families reduce their electricity use by 5% they would save $271,751,825 kWh, that's a grand total of $37,230,000 per year!! Also, Mainers would be emitting 191,735 less metric tons of carbon into the atmosphere, the equivalent of 39,945 less passenger cars on the road for a year or the amount of carbon sequestered by 157,159 acres of forest. Their PSAs explained how tools like SmartMeters, CMP's EnergyManager, and PowerHouse can help us monitor our electricity use. These PSA’s were presented to a panel of experts consisting of Gulf of Maine Research Institute’s PowerHouse representatives, reporters from the Coastal Journal and Times Record, Bath City Councilor Mari Eosco, and a local energy consultant. Only time will tell how these student PSAs will move electricity conservation forward for our town, state, and country.

PowerHouse PSA Videos