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4r,;.Z, <br />Elk Riv <br />Municipal Utilities UTILITIES COMMISSION MEETING <br />TO: <br />FROM: <br />ERMU Commission <br />Tony Mauren — Governance & Communications Manager <br />MEETING DATE: <br />AGENDA ITEM NUMBER: <br />August 12, 2025 <br />5.3 <br />SUBJECT: <br />2025 National Energy Foundation <br />Report <br />ACTION REQUESTED: <br />None <br />BACKGROUND: <br />It is a standing priority at ERMU to find ways to engage with the young people we serve, <br />specifically by educating them on the utilities that support their community and how to be <br />smart consumers of energy and water. We also seek to partner with schools in ERMU's service <br />territory whenever possible. In 2023, staff learned about a program from the National Energy <br />Foundation (NEF) that met both of those priorities. <br />After multiple planning sessions with NEF, the Think! Energy program was launched in spring <br />2024, based in part on the service NEF was already providing locally to Austin and Rochester <br />Utilities. In this program fourth grade students received a classroom presentation by NEF staff <br />on energy and water conservation, which corresponds to Minnesota Academic Standards. After <br />the presentation, students were sent home with an ERMU-branded energy saving kit to apply <br />their knowledge and teach their families what they had learned. They then reported their <br />efforts at home back to NEF who compiled the conservation data and awarded a small <br />classroom grant to teachers based on their students' response rates. <br />With the success of that first year's efforts and the positive feedback from students, parents, <br />and schools, ERMU continued the initiative in the spring 2025. <br />DISCUSSION: <br />Staff is glad to report another successful year with NEF. Our Think! Energy program reached 389 <br />students in 14 fourth -grade classrooms across Lincoln, Meadowvale, Parker, and Twin Lakes <br />Elementaries from April 29-May 1, 2025. Key results include: <br />• 42% return rate on energy kit installation data <br />• 91% of parents stating they would like to see the program continued in local schools <br />• 88% of parents said they will continue to use the products after the completion of the <br />program <br />• An estimated net savings of 96,058.14 kWh from the energy saving kit products <br />We looks forward to continuing this successful program in 2026. <br />Page 1of2 <br />100 <br />